Why did the Zcash development team collectively resign? An in-depth analysis of the governance crisis of ECC and Bootstrap

[BitPush] The development team of privacy coin Zcash has recently undergone a major change. Josh Swihart, CEO of the electronic money company (ECC), spoke out on social media, revealing the full picture of the incident — the majority of the Bootstrap board members, including Zaki Manian, Christina Garman, Alan Fairless, and Michelle Lai (ZCAM identity), have had serious disagreements with Zcash’s core mission regarding governance direction.

The turning point occurred yesterday. The dismissal actions by ZCAM directly triggered the collective resignation of the entire ECC team. This is not just a personnel change — according to Josh, the employment terms between the parties were unilaterally altered, preventing the team from continuing work as originally planned.

Interestingly, the team has not truly left the ecosystem. They are in the process of establishing a new company, but the core members remain the same, and the mission has not changed — to continue building an unstoppable privacy currency. Regarding the most concerned issue for market participants, Josh provided a clear answer: the Zcash protocol itself remains intact. This split is essentially to protect the team’s technical achievements and prevent them from being compromised under improper governance.

Background knowledge: Since 2020, ECC has gradually transitioned to a non-profit organization Bootstrap. This conflict, to some extent, reflects the potential inherent tensions within the project’s governance structure.

ZEC4,18%
View Original
This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.
  • Reward
  • 10
  • Repost
  • Share
Comment
0/400
OPsychologyvip
· 01-10 06:41
Zcash is doing this again? Governance conflicts so intense that employees are fleeing, this is what they call decentralized governance, huh --- Josh's move this time is pretty harsh, unilaterally changing terms to try to keep people, no wonder there's a collective backlash --- Privacy coins have really been struggling to keep up these past two years, internal conflicts keep erupting... --- So is it the bootstrap group wanting to change direction or ECC unwilling to cooperate? From the articles, it's a bit unclear --- It's the old trick again, governance disagreements ultimately ruin the morale of the entire project, so damaging
View OriginalReply0
BearMarketHustlervip
· 01-09 23:10
The bear market is still arguing... ECC collectively leaving jobs, is this the sign of a collapse? Another governance failure, is it really that hard to make privacy coins? Josh's move this time feels like he was pushed to the brink... Wait, changing employment terms? Who did this so ruthlessly? Bootstrap really sucks, can ZEC still be saved? By the way, aren't these people all about the "privacy dream"? Why are they stabbing each other in the back... So what's the current status of ECC? Have they all really left or is there another story? The future of privacy coins is becoming more and more uncertain... This move is basically pushing the project to the brink of death.
View OriginalReply0
PaperHandsCriminalvip
· 01-09 20:04
Another good show, Zcash really went all out this time. The board members are fighting each other, the development team is collectively striking, it feels like watching a corporate palace drama. Don’t tell me about "core mission," at the end of the day it’s all about money. These people all want to be in charge, but in the end, no one can do it. The path of privacy coins is already difficult, and now their own people are fighting each other. Isn’t this shooting themselves in the foot? Josh played this move quite ruthlessly, with the entire team resigning en masse. It seems ECC people still have a temper. But on the other hand, unilaterally changing the conditions? That’s a huge sign of disrespect. If it were me, I’d leave too. It seems Zcash is going to be out of the spotlight for a while; the ecosystem issues haven’t been resolved yet, and now this happens.
View OriginalReply0
UncommonNPCvip
· 01-08 03:51
Zcash is fighting internally again... This time, the entire team resigned collectively. How frustrating must that be? The governance team is fighting among themselves, and in the end, the ecosystem still has to foot the bill. This trick is so old. Emm, but it's also quite surreal—were the employment terms unilaterally changed? That move is quite bold. Privacy coins are becoming increasingly difficult to endure. ZEC, it's time to wake up.
View OriginalReply0
IntrovertMetaversevip
· 01-08 03:51
What a mess this governance has become. The promised privacy fortress has turned into an internal conflict scene... Truly unbelievable.
View OriginalReply0
BrokeBeansvip
· 01-08 03:50
Another Web3 project internal conflict drama... Zcash really messed up this time Governance disagreements? Basically, it's still a conflict of interest Collective resignation is the way to go, move somewhere else to continue working on privacy coins That group on the board really dares to do it, destroying the trust of the entire team in one move This is the reality of decentralized governance, seemingly ideal but actually a mess Can Zcash survive? The outlook seems worrying Unilaterally changing the terms? That move is pretty extreme... truly extreme The privacy coin track is about to undergo another reshuffle, stay tuned
View OriginalReply0
GasFeeCriervip
· 01-08 03:46
Zcash is causing internal strife again? The governance is so broken, and they still have the nerve to talk about the privacy mission... --- Wait, no, collective resignation but still working? How is this script written? It’s a bit absurd. --- Unilaterally changing employment terms? That move is indeed dirty, no wonder ECC is on strike. --- Privacy coin community is backstabbing each other again, not seeing any room for improvement. --- Josh directly tore off the mask and criticized the board, quite harsh, but such actions deal a huge blow to confidence in ZEC. --- Every time I see these governance fights, I think of the early days of Ethereum’s various disputes. Who was the final winner? --- What sounds nice as disagreement is actually a power struggle, the old trick in the crypto circle. --- The team didn’t really leave? Then who is this show for...
View OriginalReply0
ForkItAllDayvip
· 01-08 03:45
Another mess in DAO governance. Where's the promised decentralization? The ECC team collectively leaving is really unbelievable. Contract terms being unilaterally changed? How outrageous does it have to be to force everyone to leave together? Is Zcash heading for a shutdown... Privacy coins are already difficult enough, and now there's internal conflict like this. It seems like the Bootstrap group never really thought through how to govern properly, just went ahead with dismissals. They deserve the collective backlash. By the way, Josh Swihart is really cornered this time. The whole team leaving together is too harsh.
View OriginalReply0
GhostChainLoyalistvip
· 01-08 03:39
Another big internal conflict in Web3, privacy coins really are a disaster zone of governance. What were the folks at Bootstrap thinking? Unilaterally changing the terms—are they trying to push people out or playing with fire? What does this Zcash incident tell us? No matter how big the project is, it can't escape the power struggle. ECC collectively leaving is pretty harsh; it seems Josh has really taken a side this time. The privacy coin track is tough; good projects are being torn apart by internal conflicts.
View OriginalReply0
DeFiCaffeinatorvip
· 01-08 03:39
Another governance failure, I really can't believe this routine anymore. The Bootstrap group is truly unreliable. --- Zcash's recent move... is basically self-castration. Privacy coins are already hard to integrate, and now this? --- I saw Josh's tweet. Honestly, it feels like ECC has been sidelined. Unilaterally changing the terms? That's just too outrageous. --- I just want to know, who will maintain Zcash next? Is community self-rescue the only option? --- This is the fate of centralized projects. If it happens again, it will be completely finished. --- Governance crisis—these two words have now become a common template in Web3. --- The team hasn't left? Then what are they still doing? Fraudulent resignation?
View OriginalReply0
View More
  • Pin

Trade Crypto Anywhere Anytime
qrCode
Scan to download Gate App
Community
  • 简体中文
  • English
  • Tiếng Việt
  • 繁體中文
  • Español
  • Русский
  • Français (Afrique)
  • Português (Portugal)
  • Bahasa Indonesia
  • 日本語
  • بالعربية
  • Українська
  • Português (Brasil)