Bitcoin Community Condemns Proposed eCash Hard Fork as 'Theft' Over Satoshi Coin Reassignment

A long-standing Bitcoin developer, Paul Sztorc, has unveiled a contentious plan to create a hard fork of the Bitcoin blockchain, dubbed eCash, scheduled for August 2026. This new blockchain will be a near-replica of the existing Bitcoin chain but with the addition of Drivechains, a scaling solution Sztorc initially proposed in 2015. Drivechains are essentially sidechains linked to the main Bitcoin blockchain, allowing for the seamless transfer of BTC between the main chain and these sidechains without altering Bitcoin's base layer. Each sidechain can operate under its own set of rules and features, enabling developers to introduce new capabilities on top of Bitcoin without requiring the entire network to adopt these changes. The eCash hard fork aims to give existing bitcoin holders equivalent tokens in the new network for free, with the fork set to occur at Bitcoin block height 964,000. However, the community is primarily criticizing the funding aspect of the proposal, which involves reassigning coins linked to Bitcoin's missing founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, to attract investors before the fork goes live. This move has been met with significant backlash, with many in the community labeling it as 'theft' and expressing concerns over the precedent it sets for the future of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The plan involves using fewer than half of the Satoshi-equivalent eCash coins to incentivize early collaborators, but the precise mechanism remains unclear. Sztorc argues this approach is necessary to ensure the project's momentum and completion ahead of its launch, preventing it from becoming a 'zombie project' or falling under the control of a small group of developers. Despite these arguments, the response from the industry has been overwhelmingly negative, with figures like Peter McCormack and Josh Ellithorpe condemning the move and highlighting the potential risks it poses to the broader cryptocurrency community.