XRP vs XLM: Ripple CTO Warns, ‘If You Strike at the King, You’d Better Not Miss’

Ripple CTO David Schwartz has entered the ongoing debate between Stellar (XLM) and members of the XRP community with a cryptic message.

In a tweet earlier today, Schwartz appeared to throw shade, stating, “If you strike at the king, you’d better not miss.”

This phrase is widely recognized and implies that if one challenges a powerful entity, one must be certain of their success in the conflict. Otherwise, the consequences of the failed attempt could be severe.

Many believe Schwartz’s tweet is a direct response to a jab from Stellar, which subtly criticized Ripple’s legal expenses over the weekend. “Imagine spending more on lawyers than developers and calling it progress,” a post from the Build on Stellar’s official X account read.

imagine spending more on lawyers than developers and calling it progress

— Build on Stellar (@BuildOnStellar) February 8, 2025

The comment appears to have moved Ripple’s ongoing legal battles and the associated costs, which many feel have impacted XRP’s development.

Meanwhile, members of the XRP community have not gone easy on Stellar since the tweet, which has garnered over 2.3 million views.

XRP Army Attacks Stellar

Critical comments from XRP community members in response to Stellar’s tweet include: “Imagine burning supply for no reason…,” referring to Stellar’s historic XLM burn, which failed to achieve the desired price increase despite halving the supply.

Another commenter quipped, “Imagine spending heavily on development, only to end up with an inferiority complex.” Others added, “Imagine forking the XRP Ledger and calling it progress.”

However, some have taken it a step further, using the moment to reignite the longstanding rivalry between the founders of Ripple and Stellar. 

Panos Mekras, co-founder of Anodos Finance, cited that Stellar was created by Jed McCaleb, one of the creators of the XRP Ledger and a co-founder of Ripple. Mekras claimed that McCaleb “played dirty” and tried to sabotage XRP, citing a 2018 statement from Ripple’s CTO.

Based on this, he highlighted that he would never support Stellar or invest in XLM. In parallel, he called XLM an inferior copy of XRP, describing it as a project tied to someone with questionable intentions.

Call for Peace Between XRP Army and Stellar

However, some community members have called for a truce, insisting there’s no need for rivalry between XRP and XLM. 

XRP community figure Moon Lambo tweeted that he has been holding XLM since 2017, seeing promising potential in both. He urged Stellar to take down the controversial tweet and stop the petty arguments.

Similarly, XRPHealthcare’s Head of Social Adoption Edoardo Farina commented, “No room for tribalism. XRP will succeed, and so will XLM. Peace.”