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Entire ECC Team Resigns Over Bootstrap Rift, Forms CashZ, Unveils New Wallet

Bootstrap cites legal fiduciary risks over plans to privatize the Zashi wallet as the cause of the split.

Overview

  • CEO Josh Swihart said the staff were “constructively discharged” and named board members Zaki Manian, Christina Garman, Alan Fairless, and Michelle Lai as misaligned with Zcash’s mission.
  • The departing developers are launching a for‑profit startup called CashZ and announced a new Zcash wallet code‑named cashZ built from the Zashi codebase, with a public waitlist live and migrations for Zashi users promised within weeks.
  • Bootstrap’s board said proposed structures to privatize Zashi raised nonprofit law and fiduciary concerns that could invite donor lawsuits and jeopardize the broader ecosystem.
  • Project leaders reassured users that the Zcash protocol remains open‑source and operational, and the team emphasized that no new token is being created.
  • ZEC dropped sharply following the announcements, with reports of double‑digit declines of around 18% before a partial rebound later in the day.