Ripple CTO Admits Faking Ozzy Osbourne Fan Q&A as Meme Coin Surges 16,800% Post-Death

Ripple CTO David Schwartz has publicly acknowledged fabricating portions of a 2000s-era live fan Q&A session with rock legend Ozzy Osbourne and the members of Black Sabbath. In a recent post on X, Schwartz described how he used pre-written questions and selectively censored Osbourne’s profanity during the event, which was hosted via WebMaster’s outdated ConferenceRoom software. “I cheated,” he admitted, explaining that the overwhelming fan interest in Osbourne alone forced him to resort to scripted responses to ensure all band members received attention [1].

The session, intended to relay real-time audience questions to the band over a phone line, faltered due to technical limitations. Schwartz noted that only two or three genuine fan queries were successfully delivered to Osbourne and his bandmates. To compensate, he admitted cycling through pre-written questions for the other musicians while transcribing Osbourne’s responses—a process complicated by poor audio quality. “I typed up Ozzy’s answer as closely as I could, probably getting it way off due to the poor connection quality. I censored the C-words,” Schwartz explained, referencing the heavy profanity in Osbourne’s remarks [1].

The revelation follows news of Osbourne’s death in July 2025 at age 76, which triggered a spike in meme coins tied to the musician. The Mad Man (OZZY), a token inspired by Osbourne, surged over 16,800% to $0.003851, reaching a $3.85 million market cap. The timing underscores the enduring cultural influence of Osbourne, even in niche crypto markets [1].

The incident also occurs amid Ripple’s ongoing legal resolution with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Last month, CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced the company would withdraw its cross-appeal in the prolonged lawsuit, signaling a potential end to the agency’s enforcement action. Despite a court ruling upholding Ripple’s $125 million civil penalty for classifying institutional XRP sales as securities transactions, XRP’s notional open interest for perpetual futures contracts hit an all-time high of $8.8 billion in late July, according to CoinGlass. This metric reflects leveraged trading positions and highlights renewed speculative activity in the token [1].

Schwartz’s admission, while humorous in tone, raises questions about the challenges of moderating real-time interactions in early internet-era tech. His account of balancing authenticity with technical constraints offers a rare glimpse into the logistical hurdles of bridging celebrity fandom with digital platforms. Meanwhile, the post-Osbourne market reaction illustrates how cultural icons can drive unexpected volatility in crypto assets, even decades after their initial fame.

Source: [1] [Ripple CTO Admits He Faked Ozzy Osbourne Fan Q&A: “I Cheated”] [https://cryptonews.com/news/ripple-cto-admits-he-faked-ozzy-osbourne-fan-qa-i-cheated/]