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Ripple CTO David Schwartz has clapped back at a Litecoin influencer who attacked XRP in a post on X. The argument began when Jonny Litecoin, a supporter of the Litecoin network, said XRP was created “out of thin air” without any mining or staking. With both sides trading sharp words online, the debate reignites the long-standing feud between XRP and Litecoin supporters.

Ripple CTO Claps Back With Energy Efficiency Argument

David Schwartz, the chief technology officer at Ripple, did not stay silent after seeing the comments from Litecoin influencer Jonny Litecoin. Schwartz pointed out that XRP and Litecoin offer similar use cases, but the difference lies in what it takes to create them. He argued that Litecoin requires significantly more energy to produce, as it operates on a proof-of-work system, whereas XRP does not.

In making this point, Schwartz presents XRP as one that could increase in popularity and adoption over time because it avoids the high costs and waste associated with energy-intensive proof-of-work methods.

In the X post, he says, “Two products are equivalent except that one takes much more energy. Which one do you think is the most likely to grow in popularity over time?” 

Ripple has long promoted its “green” side, and even co-founder Chris Larsen worked with Greenpeace to campaign against the heavy energy use of proof-of-work systems. Proof-of-work blockchains, such as Bitcoin and Litecoin, face criticism for being wasteful and environmentally damaging. 

Litecoin Influencer Sparks XRP Feud With Critical Post

Jonny Litecoin sets off the debate when he claims Litecoin holds more real-world value than XRP. He dismissed the asset, saying it was created by a company with no mining or staking and written into existence “out of thin air.” According to him, this means XRP lacks actual value, despite its market cap of $169 million. He argues that every Litecoin undergoes fair mining with electricity and computational power. 

Jonny Litecoin’s comments did not happen in isolation. The official Litecoin X account also jumped into the fight on August 29 with a long, mocking post aimed at XRP and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse. 

The caustic “fun fact” post compares XRP’s purpose to the smell of comets and mocked the idea of using the token in bank payments.  It even went as far as calling Garlinghouse “Brad Garlicmouse,” sparking outrage among XRP supporters.

While many XRP supporters pushed back firmly, the Litecoin account refused to back down. Instead, the account frames the entire exchange as part of a community “roast.” This back-and-forth has once again highlighted the deep divide between proof-of-work supporters and the XRP community, with no signs of the feud slowing down.

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