BitMEX Co-Founder Arthur Hayes has revealed that he has completely exited his Zcash (ZEC) holdings, saying a recent Orchard Pool exploit forced him to reassess the network’s privacy assumptions.
Describing his decision, Hayes said the event broke what he referred to as the “Holy Trinity” narrative around crypto privacy. “Sadly, due to the Orchard Pool exploit, I had to dump our entire $ZEC bag,” Hayes said in a post on X.
The privacy narrative under pressure
Hayes explained that while he believes actual minting is unlikely, the core issue is that cryptographic systems cannot always provide absolute, provable certainty. “The privacy from AI, govt, big tech narrative demands perfection, not improbability,” he noted, adding that privacy expectations in today’s environment are significantly higher.
He also said the exploit changed his “narrative mental map,” making the risk-reward profile less attractive.
Taking profit on the 30% dump
Hayes added that a sharp price decline following the exploit further influenced his decision to exit entirely. “The 30% dump made me rethink, and I had to take profit on the entire position,” he said.
Despite the exit, Hayes emphasized that he regularly reassesses positions and remains open to re-entering if conditions improve. “We will consistently re-evaluate our thinking and, if my assumptions are proven incorrect, will rebuy, hopefully at lower prices,” he added.
While exiting ZEC, Hayes confirmed he still holds Worldcoin ($WLD), expressing continued optimism about its long-term trajectory. “We still hold $WLD and are excited for Lord Elon to pump our bags,” he said.
The ZEC exit follows a rapid, aggressive pattern of portfolio rotation by Hayes over the last 48 hours. Hayes’ earlier move to exit $HYPE and $NEAR, combined with his latest exit from ZEC, highlights a broader repositioning strategy across his crypto portfolio to de-risk ahead of anticipated macroeconomic friction.
Ultimately, Hayes’ latest comments reflect growing pressure on privacy-focused crypto assets. As investors increasingly demand stronger, mathematically verifiable guarantees amid AI surveillance and evolving blockchain risks, the tolerance for “improbable” exploits is rapidly approaching zero.
Also read: SIREN Pumps 22% to $0.719 as Market Dumps, But Is It Sustainable?
