Key Takeaways
- Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz shared a selfie featuring a Sydney Sweeney billboard, joking that he had photographed the wrong advertisement.
- Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson joined the exchange with a humorous reference to XRP.
- The interaction attracted attention from the cryptocurrency community, bringing together two prominent figures associated with competing blockchain ecosystems.
A seemingly ordinary billboard featuring Hollywood actress Sydney Sweeney has become the subject of an unexpected XRP joke involving two prominent figures in the cryptocurrency industry.
Ripple’s David Schwartz shared a selfie on X featuring a Sydney Sweeney advertisement, accompanied by the caption, “Oops, wrong billboard.”
The lighthearted post took another turn when Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson replied, “I knew she had XRP.”
The exchange quickly became a talking point among cryptocurrency enthusiasts, offering an unusual crossover between celebrity advertising and blockchain personalities.
Why David Schwartz Was Actually Photographing Times Square
The original photograph was not intended to promote Sweeney or the sports prediction platform Novig, whose advertisement appeared behind Schwartz.
The Ripple executive was in Times Square during celebrations surrounding Evernorth’s Nasdaq listing.
Schwartz subsequently published another photograph showing the intended advertisement, featuring Evernorth’s corporate branding and Nasdaq ticker, XRPN.
“Got it this time,” he wrote, confirming the earlier post was part of a joke rather than an endorsement.
Evernorth’s 473 Million XRP Treasury Behind the Joke
The billboard’s significance extends beyond the humorous exchange.
Evernorth, led by former Ripple board member Asheesh Birla, recently entered public markets with approximately 473 million XRP in its treasury.
The company completed its business combination with Armada Acquisition Corp. II on Oct. 9 and began trading on Nasdaq under XRPN.
Its business model aims to generate returns from XRP holdings through institutional financial strategies rather than relying exclusively on price appreciation.
Ripple publicly congratulated Evernorth on its listing, describing the company as an important development for the XRP ecosystem.
The Times Square promotion therefore marked a corporate milestone for XRP, even as Schwartz’s photograph unexpectedly shifted attention toward a Hollywood celebrity.
Does Sydney Sweeney Actually Own XRP?
Despite Hoskinson’s remark, there is no verified evidence that Sweeney owns XRP or has entered a promotional partnership with Ripple.
The Cardano founder’s comment was humorous, not a disclosure about the actress’s cryptocurrency investments.
Sweeney’s name has previously appeared in cryptocurrency discussions. In July 2024, attackers reportedly compromised her X account to promote a fraudulent celebrity-themed token.
Unconfirmed claims about a potential Ripple promotional arrangement also circulated in 2025, but no official partnership was established.
For XRP supporters, the exchange offered an entertaining moment between influential figures in the blockchain space. For investors, however, the underlying development remains Evernorth’s public listing and its plans to deploy a substantial XRP treasury.
The celebrity connection is a viral joke, not evidence of XRP adoption or an investment endorsement.
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Dr. Guneet Kaur is a senior editor at CCN.com and a Science Fellow at Exponential Science. She is a fintech and blockchain expert with extensive experience in digital finance education, blockchain ecosystems, and cryptocurrency markets. She has worked with global media such as Cointelegraph, as well as education and blockchain platforms, to design and lead strategic content and learning initiatives. As an educator and assessor for top-tier executive programs, she bridges real-world fintech trends with academic insight.
Dr. Kaur is also a published researcher and peer reviewer across fintech and data science journals, including Financial Innovation Journal and International Journal of Big Data Intelligence and Applications. Her work spans data-driven analysis, Web3 innovation, and technical content development. With a strong foundation in both industry and academia, she translates complex financial technologies into practical applications, empowering learners, professionals, and institutions across the rapidly evolving digital finance landscape.
