The Zcash devs have been grinding for years, some over a decade.
They had options. Higher comp, sexier chains, better funded projects, less personal risk. Often underappreciated, underestimated, attacked, and ignored.
But they didn't leave. Instead, they built, with an uncompromising belief that this project will change the world. Not a job. A mission.
It's special. Unstoppable. Can't be replicated. And it will change the world.
People obsess over the cryptography.
The real moat is Zcash's culture.
You cannot replicate a social layer that will die on the hill of encryption, that is laser focused on scaling, obsessed with security, and open to criticism.