Only pure hardcore privacy individuals are going to invest or at least used it without fearing the government coming after them. But for normal and average joe's, might be better to suit up for other altcoins to make money.
That's certainly true, mate. Privacy coins are extremely undervalued these days because of recent de-listings across major exchanges. Government regulations are forcing exchanges to close up shop for privacy coins. This takes them out of the spotlight as investors and traders focus on other cryptocurrencies on the market. While Zcash has the potential to transform privacy, it has a small market compared to other big players like Bitcoin and Ethereum. If the trend continues, privacy coins will only be used in the underworld. Getting access to privacy coins could only be done via decentralized exchanges or in-person. They won't disappear anytime soon thanks to the decentralized and censorship-resistant nature of blockchain technology.
Nonetheless, people seem to underestimate privacy coins in general. They don't care about privacy at all since they have nothing to hide. In my own opinion, both Zcash and Monero are hidden gems in the crypto/Blockchain space. Yet, they're extremely undervalued compared to other cryptocurrencies on the market. Zcash has the same limited supply as Bitcoin so it should've been worth at least $1k by now. Monero has a much bigger supply, but it's the best privacy coin in the world today. Regulations are certainly affecting privacy coins' prominence in the mainstream world. It shouldn't be long enough before all exchanges remove privacy coins from their platforms. Who knows how far ZEC will go in the future? Just my thoughts