The technology looks pretty shit hot, IMO.
The source code is open source, so having a company releasing the code is not an issue. They are maintaining it, but it can be forked at any point.
Don't make the Dodo mistake of thinking the new kid on the block is harmless. Darksend could be orders of magnitude less robust than zerocash when it comes to privacy.
It's definitely interesting stuff. The for-profit corporation aspect of it makes it seem, to me, like an anonymous version of Ripple.
The hype is likely to be just as big as Ethereum; once released it could take a quick (maybe brief, maybe lasting) ride up the coinmarketcap chart.
The nice thing about Dash is that I no longer feel the need to defend us on the anonymity front. I think our anonymity is pretty strong, but it's also no longer the only notable thing about our coin. Even without anonymity, we'd have instant transactions, incentivized second tier (more 24/7 nodes than Bitcoin), decentralized governance, self-funding decentralized budget system...all things that Bitcoin lacks.
You're making Dodo mistakes. It's not Ripple. Compared to Darksend, it's as close to the purest definition of digital cash as you'll see. Also, there is no stopping or rewinding transactions and there is no emergency AML button to press.
Talking about other features is just moving the goal posts.