Why did the XRP community turn against the self-proclaimed genius who blocked Ripple CTO?

The XRP community has always been very active and protective of its ecosystem. This has become clear again after the recent controversy involving the self-proclaimed “world’s highest IQ holder” and the launch of a crypto token that claims to support XRP.

What started as a bold claim and attention-grabbing post quickly turned into skepticism, backlash, and public warnings from longtime XRP supporters. The person at the center of the issue was YoungHoon Kim, who claimed to have an IQ of 276 and used that claim to promote a new crypto token linked to the XRP ledger.

Claims that raised red flags

The controversy further escalated when Ripple’s chief technology officer, David Schwartz, publicly questioned Kim’s qualifications. Schwartz said the so-called certification comes from an organization believed to be founded by Kim herself and is designed to sound similar to a legitimate recording organization.

Schwartz also specifically pointed out that an IQ score of 276 is scientifically impossible. Shortly after this interaction, Schwartz was blocked by Kim, and the move quickly caught the attention of the entire XRP community.

For many XRP holders, blocking one of the most respected technology leaders in the ecosystem raised serious concerns.

Token promotion using XRP name

Around the same time, Kim announced the launch of the token, claiming that it was created to support XRP and bring real utility to the XRP Ledger. He described a two-chain structure, with one token focused on growing the community on Solana, and another XRPL-linked token likely powering DAO-related activities.

His messages repeatedly used phrases like “support for XRP” and “how useful is the XRP Ledger in practice,” which many community members found misleading. Critics argued that XRP itself does not need unofficial tokens promoted under dubious claims to prove its value.

As scrutiny increased, many XRP supporters began warning others to stay safe. Some community members publicly accused Kim of using the XRP brand and its loyal supporters to create hype around the personal token project.

Apology and unblocking

After days of mounting criticism, Kim later posted a public apology. He acknowledged that he had unblocked David Schwartz and apologized to both Schwartz and the XRP community.

In a statement, he acknowledged fault, made no excuses and said he would be more careful and respectful in the future.

While some community members welcomed the apology, others remained skeptical, noting that damage to trust in cryptocurrencies often occurs quickly and is difficult to recover from.