The core development team of Zcash has resigned from the Electric Coin Company (ECC) after a governance fight with the nonprofit structure that oversees the project, escalating long-standing tensions over control, funding, and vision for the privacy coin.
The dispute centers on Bootstrap, the nonprofit parent that holds ECC, and follows years of debate about the funding and government of Zcash’s development.
How the Dispute Reached a Breaking Point
ECC, the company that created and maintains the Zcash protocol, confirmed that its core developers collectively tendered their resignations amid what CEO Josh Swihart described as “malicious governance measures” by Bootstrap.
Swihart argues that a majority bloc within Bootstrap has constrained ECC’s ability to execute its roadmap and diverged from what he sees as Zcash’s original mission.
Swihart has also announced plans to leave ECC and form a new company, signaling a clean break from the existing nonprofit structure that has funded Zcash development since the end of the initial founders’ reward era. The move follows his appointment as CEO in late 2023, when Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox stepped down from the role but remained on the Bootstrap board.
Split Between Developers and Founder
The clash has exposed a rare public split between the founding technical team and the project’s original creator. While ECC’s developers and Swihart accuse Bootstrap of blocking progress, Wilcox has publicly backed the nonprofit and its current governance direction.
This alignment, which echoes previous disputes between ECC and the Zcash Foundation over trademarks and development funds, puts the creator at odds with the departing development team he assisted in assembling.
Similar divisions in other ecosystems have occasionally resulted in protocol forks or protracted stagnation if governance difficulties are not overcome, according to analysts.
What the Shakeup Means for Zcash Governance
With the core ECC devs stepping down, Bootstrap faces the task of either recruiting new engineers or supporting alternative teams to maintain and upgrade the Zcash codebase.
Community discussions now range from forming a new development collective under different governance to continuing with Bootstrap’s stewardship or exploring a fork if consensus on direction breaks down.
READ MORE: FET Price Trades Softer As Crypto Market Declines
