Zcash Developers Leave Electric Coin Company to Form New Firm

Zcash Developers Exit Electric Coin Company in Major Governance Rift, Prepare to Launch New Independent Firm

The team responsible for developing one of the crypto industry’s most well-known privacy-focused blockchains has officially parted ways with its long-time organizational home. Developers behind Zcash have left the Electric Coin Company, signaling a dramatic internal rupture that underscores ongoing tensions around governance, decentralization, and control within open-source crypto projects.

Josh Swihart, CEO of Electric Coin Company, confirmed that the entire ECC staff has resigned following what he described as a prolonged breakdown in alignment between the company and Bootstrap, the nonprofit organization created to support Zcash. According to Swihart, the disagreement was not rooted in technology, funding shortages, or market pressure, but rather in fundamental differences over mission, authority, and the ability of the development team to operate with independence and integrity.

Over the past several weeks, Swihart said, decisions made by key members of the Bootstrap board increasingly conflicted with the original purpose of ECC. He pointed to actions involving prominent figures within the Zcash ecosystem, including members associated with Zcash Community Grants, arguing that these governance moves effectively altered the team’s role and limited its ability to carry out its responsibilities. As a result, the developers concluded that remaining within the existing structure would compromise both their work and the principles upon which Zcash was built.

Swihart stated that changes imposed on the team’s employment terms made it impossible to continue under the ECC banner. Rather than accept conditions they believed undermined their mission, the developers chose to walk away together. He framed the decision as an effort to protect years of work from governance interference and to preserve the long-standing vision of creating private, censorship-resistant digital money.

Despite the separation, Swihart emphasized that the team is not abandoning Zcash. Instead, the developers are preparing to establish a new independent company that will carry forward the same technical expertise, research experience, and long-term goals. According to him, the name on the door may change, but the mission remains identical: advancing privacy-preserving financial infrastructure that can operate without centralized control.

Zcash Protocol Remains Stable and Unaffected

While the organizational shakeup has drawn attention across the crypto community, both current and former Zcash leaders have been quick to reassure users that the protocol itself remains fully intact. Swihart stressed that Zcash is not owned or controlled by any single company, foundation, or nonprofit. Its codebase is public, open source, and accessible to anyone who wishes to contribute, audit, or build upon it.

The Zcash network continues to rely on miners, node operators, validators, and users distributed across the globe. Because of this decentralized structure, no internal dispute or corporate exit can halt transactions, alter balances, or compromise privacy guarantees. Developers outside ECC can still submit improvements, and the community retains the ability to maintain forks or alternative implementations if necessary.

Former ECC CEO and Zcash co-founder Zooko Wilcox also weighed in on the situation, offering a contrasting perspective. Wilcox publicly defended the Bootstrap board, stating that he has worked closely with several of its members for more than a decade under intense and challenging conditions. Based on his experience, he described them as individuals of strong character and integrity.

Wilcox reiterated that the current conflict does not weaken the Zcash network in any meaningful way. He emphasized that Zcash was designed from the outset to be permissionless, secure, and resilient to internal politics. According to him, users can continue to transact, store value, and rely on Zcash’s privacy features without concern, regardless of the organizational changes happening behind the scenes.

Market Reaction Reflects Short-Term Uncertainty

The news of the split had an immediate impact on market sentiment. Zcash declined by nearly seven percent over a 24-hour period following the announcement, with the token trading around $461 at the time of reporting. Price action during the day showed volatility, with ZEC moving between approximately $452 and $497 as traders reacted to headlines and assessed the long-term implications.

This pullback follows a period of renewed interest in privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. In November of last year, Zcash experienced a strong rally as demand for financial privacy narratives resurfaced across the broader crypto market. During that surge, the price briefly reached the $723 level, supported in part by endorsements and commentary from high-profile industry figures such as Arthur Hayes.

While the recent decline suggests caution among short-term traders, some long-term observers view the current situation as a governance issue rather than a technical or security failure. From this perspective, market volatility may reflect uncertainty rather than a loss of confidence in Zcash’s underlying technology.

A Defining Moment for Zcash’s Future

The departure of the entire Electric Coin Company development team represents a pivotal moment in Zcash’s evolution. It highlights the ongoing challenge faced by decentralized projects as they balance open governance with effective leadership and sustainable development. As the original builders move forward with a new company, questions remain about how coordination between developers, nonprofits, and the broader community will unfold.

At the same time, the episode reinforces the core promise of decentralization. Zcash continues to function exactly as designed, independent of any single organization or leadership group. Whether the ecosystem ultimately benefits from renewed competition, parallel development paths, or deeper community involvement remains to be seen.

For now, Zcash stands as a live example of both the strengths and complexities of decentralized governance, operating as usual on-chain while its human institutions undergo a significant transformation.

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