David Schwartz, Ripple’s chief architect of the XRP Ledger (the network powering XRP transactions), dismissed attempts by retail investors to interpret a bagpipe GIF as a hidden announcement. The symbol revived community lore surrounding Bearableguy123, or BG123, whose 2017–2018 riddles included a prediction that XRP would reach $589 and a collage showing an astronaut on the Moon holding bagpipes. Schwartz has repeatedly rejected theories involving secret plans, magic buttons, court-imposed travel restrictions and a government-backed global reserve currency role for XRP. He has also criticized forecasts of XRP reaching $10,000, arguing that rational investors would have priced even a small probability of that outcome into the market much earlier. While he sometimes participates in XRP community memes, Schwartz says his social-media posts should not be treated as encrypted market signals or financial guidance.