Since Zcash uses the same codebase of Bitcoin, does that mean it would be possible to later integrate it back into Bitcoin, and just transition Zcash T-addresses to regular Bitcoin addresses, and then add the Z-addresses on top of the Bitcoin addresses ecosystem?
I also wonder about how much of a risk to its own ecosystem Zcash being a private company represents. Was that really better than making it a non-profit? And won't this make it easier for law enforcement to go after Zcash as the sole culpable entity for "money laundering" and other such charges?
Nah, they're just extra data, that could easily go in the signature fields; it's definitely possible to add Zcash functionality to Bitcoin in a backwards compatible soft-fork.
Basically you'd have a pool of "shielded" txouts that could be spent with a zcash signature, without any requirement that a particular txout be spent for a given signature. Surpisingly easy upgrade all things considered; the main blocker is Zcash's crypto is very experimental and slow.
I also wonder about how much of a risk to its own ecosystem Zcash being a private company represents. Was that really better than making it a non-profit? And won't this make it easier for law enforcement to go after Zcash as the sole culpable entity for "money laundering" and other such charges?