Zcash builders split from ECC, form ZODL and rebrand wallet

Zcash’s original creators have formally broken away from the Electric Coin Company (ECC) and launched a new independent development entity, Zcash Open Development Lab (ZODL). The team announced the Zashi wallet will be rebranded as "Zodl," and the app will rebrand with the next update.

The change confirms the flagship wallet and its original engineers now operate outside ECC’s control. The split began in January, when the entire ECC staff resigned following a governance dispute with Bootstrap, the nonprofit that owns ECC. The newly formed ZODL includes the same engineers and product team that built Zcash’s core privacy technology and developed its flagship wallet.

ZODL said it will continue building tools to expand shielded ZEC adoption independently of ECC and the Zcash Development Fund. ECC remains a legal entity under Bootstrap ownership but no longer employs the original team that designed and maintained much of Zcash’s modern infrastructure.

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