Following his entry into Shielded Labs, Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox has unveiled an upgrade plan for Zcash that aims to transition the cryptocurrency to a hybrid Proof-of-Stake system after eight years of utilizing Proof-of-Work mining. This change is necessary to alleviate the downward pressure on prices caused by the rapid issuance of new coins. As the rate of new coin issuance slows, this pressure is expected to ease. Two significant improvements Zcash will soon undergo include the implementation of the Zcash Sustainability Fund and the upgrade to “Crosslink,” a protocol that combines Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake. Wilcox emphasized the importance of quickly deploying this technology while maintaining Zcash's strong security track record. After the upgrade, ZEC holders will be able to participate in staking, users will gain finality against rollbacks, transaction times will be shortened, and support for more secure bi-directional network bridges will be enabled. While Wilcox did not provide detailed technical information or a specific timeline for the upgrade, the move is geared towards enhancing Zcash's performance and security, providing users with a better cryptographic currency experience.