Ripple’s David Schwartz Warns Bitcoin May Need Quantum Fork ‘Or Collapse’

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Comments from David Schwartz, chief technology officer at Ripple, have reignited debate over whether Bitcoin will need a major technical overhaul in the future to remain secure as quantum computing advances.

In a recent online discussion, Schwartz argued that bitcoin’s long-term success has so far depended more on its established reputation and market trust than on continuous technological upgrades at the blockchain level. However, he noted that one technological shift may ultimately be unavoidable: adapting the network to withstand potential quantum-computing threats.

Schwartz said bitcoin would likely “need a fork to be quantum proof,” warning that such a change could become necessary if advances in quantum computing eventually weaken today’s cryptographic protections. Without that type of upgrade, he suggested, the network could face serious long-term risks.

Technology vs. Market Dominance

The Ripple executive also said that bitcoin’s appeal does not rely heavily on adding new blockchain features. In his view, the network’s primary role is to ensure that users can reliably hold and transfer the asset over time — a function already achievable with widely available blockchain technologies. As a result, incremental technical innovation alone may not significantly influence bitcoin’s long-term adoption or price performance.

“For 99% of what makes bitcoin interesting, all the blockchain needs to be able to do is allow people to rely on being able to hold and transfer bitcoin in the future. That doesn’t require any technology that isn’t available in every public blockchain out there,” he said.

A Renewed Debate Over Bitcoin’s Future

Schwartz’s remarks come at a time when researchers and blockchain developers are increasingly discussing “post-quantum” cryptography — security systems designed to resist attacks from future quantum computers. While such threats are still considered distant, the discussion shows a broader industry question: whether bitcoin’s traditionally cautious approach to upgrades could eventually require coordinated global changes to maintain network security.

For now, the comments serve less as an immediate warning and more as a reminder that even the most established digital assets may one day face technological turning points driven by advances outside the crypto industry.