“Money is a technology.”
Zooko Wilcox is the CEO and a co-founder of the Electric Coin Company (ECC), the entity behind the privacy-focused crypto asset Zcash. Born under the name Bryce Wilcox, Zooko has a deep background in computer science. He constructed multiple computer licenses and protocols, including the Transitive Grace Period Public License, or TGPPL, and a system called Mojo Nation.
In the 1990s, Wilcox worked on an electronic cash system called DigiCash, run by David Chaum. Wilcox has been in the crypto space seemingly for its entire lifespan — since 2009, the year of Bitcoin’s launch. Wilcox penned an early blog post about the asset. Wilcox has made a name for himself in the cryptocurrency industry from his involvement with Zcash, which allows users to transact privately, publicly or even with partial privacy. Created in 2016, Zcash utilizes zk-SNARK technology, which essentially allows for proof of asset transfers without revealing specific information.
Inspired by a 2014 protocol called Zerocash, Zcash runs as a coin on its own native network, constructed initially as a fork of Bitcoin’s code. The Electric Coin Company built Zcash and oversees the asset’s development, ecosystem and more. Leading the charge at the ECC, Wilcox is an active Twitter participant who maintains an audience of more than 50,000. The nonprofit Zcash Foundation focuses on the broader privacy movement and Zcash.
The ECC and Zcash had a fairly busy year, as evidenced by the many blog posts published by the ECC. Throughout 2022, Zcash saw a number of updates and changes, including an upgrade to version 5.0 in May. Touted by the ECC as the biggest-ever change to the Zcash blockchain, the 5.0.0 upgrade, or NU5, ushered in the ability to use mobile phones for private Zcash transactions. Among several changes, the upgrade also added a proofing system called Halo.
In April, it was revealed that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden actually helped with Zcash’s launch in 2016 under the pseudonym John Dobbertin. In September, crypto trading platform Huobi removed several privacy-related assets from its exchange, including Zcash, partly due to regulatory concerns.
Zcash will likely continue to advance its development in 2023, with the ECC overseeing the effort. Wilcox will likely continue as CEO, heading up the movement. He actively engaged with his Twitter audience early in 2023, retweeting a hearty amount of content and commenting on Zcash, privacy technology and other topics.
Throughout 2023, Wilcox will likely continue using the social media platform as a way to interact with the crypto industry and to serve as a voice of the Zcash project. Given his expertise and significant experience in the industry, Wilcox may also continue taking interviews, as he fielded a number of them in 2022. He will likely also continue advocating for privacy via Zcash and its related technology.
