Josh Swihart, CEO of ZODL, explains the critical importance of privacy in crypto and Zcash's resurgence. He details how the new wallet and company, backed by top VCs, is driving adoption by simplifying UX and growing the shielded pool. The episode argues that privacy is essential to avoid a dystopian future and that Zcash is technically superior to Bitcoin as a store of value and medium of exchange.
Summarized by Podsumo
Zcash's shielded pool has grown from 11% to 32% of total supply in two years, indicating strong demand for privacy-focused self-custody.
ZODL raised $25M from Paradigm, a16z, and the Winklevoss twins, aiming to be the 'Coinbase of Zcash' by simplifying the user experience.
Swihart argues privacy is essential for crypto's survival as internet money, warning that without it, society faces dystopia.
The episode notes a political window of ~1000 days to make privacy features 'too big to kill' before the current administration leaves.
Zcash is technically a Bitcoin fork with added zero-knowledge cryptography, positioned as a hedge against Bitcoin's transparency and centralization.
"As a society, if we don't have privacy or private money on the web, we'll enter dystopia."
— Josh Swihart
"ZODL is to Zcash what Coinbase was to Bitcoin."
— Josh Swihart (quoting Balaji)
"It's got to be so big that it is impossible to kill."
— Josh Swihart