Schwartz Questions Whose Interests Higher Fees Serve
People paying to use a blockchain face costs that fee revenue metrics can overlook, according to David Schwartz, Ripple’s chief technology officer emeritus. In an exchange on X on Oct. 4, he criticized fee revenue as a metric and questioned whose interests it represents, responding to a suggestion that $XRP Ledger validators raise transaction costs to burn more $XRP.
Schwartz stated:
“I think fee revenue is a terrible metric since it measures how much friction the chain *didn’t* remove. If you represent the people who collect the fees, then fees are great. But what about the people who *pay* the fees? Who cares about their interests?”
