Hi @noamchom.
I appreciate the due diligence. That’s why we publish these reports. We take the transparency and accountability seriously and it’s nice to see that you do as well.
The last published transparency report shows that ECC spent about $766k per month during Q3 of 2022. It has been greatly reduced since with the bear market. We’ll have details in the forthcoming reports. During that period Growth and Regulatory averaged 222k per month. The report includes a summary of activities, which I would encourage you to dig into.
Based upon your post, I think you must not have the complete picture, or perhaps you just simply disagree with our thinking. We don’t necessarily discuss all of our actions but perhaps we should do more. However, some of the things we don’t discuss include details of confidential or sensitive meetings. We often meet with various agencies - both formally and informally. We have met with the White House. We often have off-the-record conversations with staffers and politicians on the hill. We’ve worked hard to keep the doors open to Zcash and kill things that pose a threat.
These kinds of activities allow us to build relationships and trust over many months and years. They aren’t the kinds of things that you can measure in a quarter. They lead to other important outcomes, for example, the House Majority Whip embracing and tweeting that “Privacy is Normal” and his office sponsoring us for a hill briefing that will take place at the Capitol later this month on Zcash and privacy. We have cultivated a lot of friendships in DC, including many who haven’t yet fully embraced our values.
This work also allows us access and engagement with others across the ecosystem. Take a look at what we’re doing with the monthly PGP events and recent podcasts. Also take note that regulated exchanges in the US are comfortable with Zcash but not comfortable with other projects that provide privacy protections. That doesn’t happen by accident, it happens through a lot of strategic work and relationship building over time. This work hasn’t been limited to the US, but also Japan, Korea, Singapore, the EU and others. Decisions are being made about whether we will have access to privacy-preserving tech across these jurisdictions. Even in many crypto circles, projects and companies are quick to try to throw privacy under the bus and position blockchain transparency as virtuous. It’s important that our community have a voice in these circles, and we have been that voice.
Will we be ultimately successful? I don’t know. I hope so. We’re busting our ass for our collective future. I think it goes without saying that the world in which our rights to privacy are not protected would be truly dystopian and horrible.
Is our work worth it to this community? I believe so. I hope so. I believe it’s critical, though I understand that not everyone will agree.
As it relates to our work and influence, don’t take our word for it. Perhaps ask other projects about our work, sophistication and influence. The Blockchain Association, Nym and others in the UPA, CoinCenter, and Fight for the Future would be good places to start if you’d like their take.