Zero Knowledge Podcast

Zero Knowledge

About the show

Zero Knowledge is a podcast which goes deep into the tech that will power the emerging decentralised web and the community building this. Covering the latest in zero knowledge research and applications, the open web as well as future technologies and paradigms that promise to change the way we interact — and transact — with one another online. Zero Knowledge is hosted by Anna Rose Follow the show at @ZeroKnowledgefm (https://twitter.com/zeroknowledgefm) or @AnnaRRose (https://twitter.com/AnnaRRose) If you like the Zero Knowledge Podcast: Join us on Telegram (https://t.me/joinchat/TORo7aknkYNLHmCM) Support our Gitcoin Grant (https://gitcoin.co/grants/38/zero-knowledge-podcast) Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/zeroknowledge) Or directly here: ETH: 0x4BF66E52f3009Cd138e48f142D47661037160001 BTC: 1cafekGa3podM4fBxPSQc6RCEXQNTK8Zz ZEC: t1R2bujRF3Hzte9ALHpMJvY8t5kb9ut9SpQ DOT: 14zPzb7ihiBeaUn9jdPW9cHKGBd9qtTuJE75hhW2CvzLh6rT

Newest episodes

When Math Meets Auto Research with Bartosz Naskręcki

Nov 11, 2026 1 hr 16 min

This week, Anna and Tarun are joined by Bartosz Naskręcki, mathematician and professor at Adam Mickiewicz University and researcher at the Centre for Credible AI, to explore how AI agents are transforming mathematical research. Bartosz shares his background in algebraic geometry and cryptography, and how he became involved in the ECDSA.fail competition. They discuss auto-research, the kinds of problems best suited to agent-driven exploration, and how collaborative competitions can accelerate discovery. The conversation then turns to recent AI breakthroughs in mathematics, the challenges of verifying AI-generated proofs using tools like Lean, and the risk of AI research slop. Bartosz reflects on the changing role of mathematical intuition, the importance of keeping humans in the loop, and what these advances mean for the future of mathematics and the next generation of researchers. Related Links Yukon.orgECDSA.fail ECDSA.Fail: Open Autoresearch for Optimizing Elliptic-Curve Point Addition in Shor’s AlgorithmProving at Scale for Universal Algebra Mathematical discovery in the age of artificial intelligenceAI Grinding for Fun and CryptanalysisBartosz Naskręcki – Full Publication List FrontierMath: Benchmarking AI against advanced mathematical researchLeiden Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and MathematicsZK Podcast Episode 411: Auto Research on Yukon with Soubhik Deb New from the Zero Knowledge Podcast and Succinct: the 2026 ZK Industry Report, a snapshot of ZK’s tech, research and real-world adoption. Free at zeroknowledge.fm/zk-industry-report-2026 **If you like what we do:** * Consider becoming a zkMesh+ Subscriber * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube Read transcript

From Nova to Magnetar: Three Years of Research with Srinath Setty

Oct 28, 2026 50 min

This week, Anna and Nico catch up with Srinath Setty, researcher at Microsoft. They look back at his research since his work on Nova, spanning lattice-based folding, zero-knowledge identity proofs, and lookups and memory checking, much of which traces back to his 2019 work, Spartan. The bulk of the conversation is on Magnetar, his newly released zkVM. Built only on standard hash functions, it aims to be among the most secure general-purpose zkVMs, and it also turned out to be dramatically faster than many existing systems. Srinath explains how it’s put together, where the speed comes from, and what’s still left to build. Related links: Magnetar: High-speed post-quantum RV64 zkVM from standard hashesProof-based general-purpose computing with Magnetar(Microsoft Research blog)BinarySpartan: Spartan over binary fieldsSpartan: Efficient and general-purpose zkSNARKs without trusted setupNeo and SuperNeo: Post-quantum folding with pay-per-bit costs over small fieldsLatticeFold: A Lattice-based Folding Scheme and its Applications to Succinct Proof SystemsVega: Low-Latency Zero-Knowledge Proofs over Existing CredentialsUnlocking the lookup singularity with LassoJolt: SNARKs for Virtual Machines via LookupsTwist and Shout: Faster memory checking arguments via one-hot addressing and incrementsLigerito: A Small and Concretely Fast Polynomial Commitment SchemeArc: Accumulation for Reed-Solomon CodesWARP: Linear-Time Accumulation SchemesFlock: Fast Proving for Batch Boolean ComputationsZK Podcast: Nova and Beyond with Srinath SettyZK Podcast: Lattices, Folding, & Symphony with Binyi ChenZK Podcast: Episode 404 with Benedikt BünzZK Podcast: Episode 410 with Ron Rothblum New from the Zero Knowledge Podcast and Succinct: the 2026 ZK Industry Report, a snapshot of ZK’s tech, research and real-world adoption. Free at zeroknowledge.fm/zk-industry-report-2026 **If you like what we do:** * Consider becoming a zkMesh+ Subscriber * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * F...

zkGolf: AI, Clean and Optimising ZK Circuits with zkSecurity

Oct 21, 2026 1 hr 11 min

This week, Anna is joined by Nico and Kobi to speak with Mathias Hall-Andersen and Giorgio Dell'Immagine from zkSecurity about zkGolf, a competition challenging humans and AI agents to build the most efficient, formally verified ZK circuits. They look back at ZK Hack puzzles and CTFs, exploring how AI is changing the nature of technical competitions. They then dive into Clean, zkSecurity's framework for writing and formally verifying circuits in Lean, and how an experiment using AI to optimize a SHA-256 circuit inspired zkGolf. They discuss how the zkGolf competition works, the breakthroughs and exploits participants have uncovered, how it compares to other AI-driven optimisation challenges, and what AI-assisted circuit development could mean for the future of ZK engineering and security audits. Related Links zkGolf Website Clean GitHub Repo Clean WebsiteLean Programming WebsiteZK HackYukon Website ZK Podcast: Auto Research on Yukon with Soubhik DebZK Podcast: Alex Ozdemir on where Theorem Provers and ZK meet ECDSA.fail SNARK.fast Flock ChallengeThe Proximity Prize Sovright builds the critical infrastructure that preserves your right to choose. Discover more at sovright.com. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address Read transcript

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All episodes

The newest 50 of 429 episodes

When Math Meets Auto Research with Bartosz Naskręcki

Nov 11, 2026 1 hr 16 min

From Nova to Magnetar: Three Years of Research with Srinath Setty

Oct 28, 2026 50 min

zkGolf: AI, Clean and Optimising ZK Circuits with zkSecurity

Oct 21, 2026 1 hr 11 min

Exploring the Lasers that Power Quantum Computers

Oct 7, 2026 1 hr 15 min

This week, Anna and Guillermo chat with Josh Yang, CEO and co-founder of Brightlight Photonics, about the lasers that power quantum computers. Josh explains how lasers are used in neutral atom and other atom-based quantum systems to cool and move atoms, manipulate qubit states and read out results. They explore why these systems require so many different lasers and how today’s bulky, expensive optical setups can become a bottleneck as quantum computers scale. They also cover Brightlight’s work miniaturising the Ti:sapphire laser, a longstanding workhorse of quantum optics. Josh explains how integrated waveguides and semiconductor manufacturing techniques make this possible, the challenges of packaging and powering these tiny lasers, and how a more compact, versatile laser platform could better support quantum computing. This one is a departure from the usual topics covered on the show, but we hope you find it as fascinating as we did. Related Links Brightlight PhotonicsJosh Yang Google Scholar ProfileEpisode 357: Quantum Engineering with Jelena VučkovićStanford Report: Chip-scale titanium-sapphire laser puts powerful technology in reach Titanium:Sapphire-on-insulator for broadband tunable lasers and high-power amplifiers on chipTitanium:sapphire-on-insulator integrated lasers and amplifiersMulti-dimensional data transmission using inverse-designed silicon photonics and microcombsBrightlight Photonics Images shared by Josh YangEpisode 400: Quantum Advances, Hybrid Signatures and SNARKs to the Rescue with Dan BonehEpisode 402: The Quantum Question Panel – Live from zkSummit14 **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address Read transcript

JP Aumasson on Quantum Risk, AI Attacks and Too Much Crypto

Sep 30, 2026 57 min

This week, Anna, Tarun and Nico are joined by JP Aumasson, co-designer of BLAKE3, author of Serious Cryptography and cryptography engineer at Cloudflare. They revisit the quantum threat to cryptography, looking at recent advances in quantum attacks on RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography, and discuss why JP remains cautious about predictions of an imminent “Q-day.” They then explore how AI is changing cryptanalysis, from recent RSA factoring records to the growing divide between symmetric and asymmetric cryptography. The conversation then turns to Poseidon and recent attacks that have challenged confidence in ZK-friendly hash functions, as well as China’s new NGCC competition, where AI is already being used to find weaknesses in candidate designs. JP shares his experiments using AI for cryptanalysis, why it could accelerate both the building and breaking of cryptographic systems, and a introduces a project exploring AI-driven attacks on hash functions. Related Links Too Much Crypto by Jean-Philippe AumassonSecuring Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies against Quantum Vulnerabilities: Resource Estimates and Mitigations Flock: Fast Proving for Batch Boolean ComputationsFlock ChallengePOSEIDON: A New Hash Function for Zero-Knowledge Proof Systems (Updated Version) Ngcc.devChinese NGCC Algorithms: The First Week of AI CryptanalysisJP Aumasson PapersYukon.orgZK Podcast Episode: The Quantum Question Panel – Live from zkSummit14!ZK Podcast Episode: Quantum Advances, Hybrid Signatures and SNARKs to the Rescue with Dan Boneh Sovright builds the critical infrastructure that preserves your right to choose. Discover more at sovright.com. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address Read transcript

Auto Research on Yukon with Soubhik Deb

Sep 23, 2026 1 hr 6 min

This week, Anna is joined by Soubhik Deb, Head of Research at EigenLabs, to explore Yukon, a platform for collaborative AI-powered research. Soubhik traces the project’s origins to ECDSA.fail, a competition launched in response to Google’s work on more resource-efficient quantum circuits for breaking secp256k1. They discuss how researchers and their AI agents build on one another’s submissions, turning traditional research into a multiplayer process that can iterate at machine speed. The conversation then explores Yukon’s expansion into ZK proving, inference optimisation, coding theory and mathematics through challenges like SNARK.fast, better.codes, mlx.fast and lighter.fast. Soubhik explains the importance of well-defined problems and verifiers for AI-driven research, and shares Yukon’s vision for an “AI-native scientific institution” where humans and agents collaborate to accelerate discovery. Related Links Yukon.orgECDSA.fail Flock ChallengeThe Proximity Prize (better.codes)Mlx.fastDarkbloomLighter Prover ChallengeECDSA.Fail: Open Autoresearch for Optimizing Elliptic-Curve Point Addition in Shor’s AlgorithmOptimized Point Addition Circuits for Elliptic Curve Discrete LogarithmsSecuring Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies against Quantum Vulnerabilities: Resource Estimates and Mitigations ZK Podcast Episode: The Quantum Question Panel – Live from zkSummit14!ZK Podcast Episode: Quantum Advances, Hybrid Signatures and SNARKs to the Rescue with Dan Boneh Sovright builds the critical infrastructure that preserves your right to choose. Discover more at sovright.com. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address Read transcript

Ron Rothblum on Fiat-Shamir Attacks, Flock and SNARK.fast

Sep 16, 2026 1 hr 1 min

This week, Anna and Kobi are joined by Ron Rothblum, Professor of Computer Science at Technion and researcher at Succinct. They catch up on Ron’s move from theory into practice, including his work on the SP1 zkVM, Jagged Polynomial Commitments, and a recent Fiat-Shamir attack that exposed vulnerabilities in practical uses of GKR. Ron explains what the attack revealed about Fiat-Shamir’s security assumptions and why it prompted changes to deployed systems. The conversation then explores Ron’s recent work on faster and more efficient proof systems, from Blaze, TensorSwitch, BOLT and Veil to Flock, a proof system for batch proving Boolean computations. They discuss how new approaches to polynomial commitments and error-correcting codes can improve prover performance, before turning to snark.fast and zkGolf, experiments using AI agents to optimise provers and circuits. Ron shares what these efforts reveal about AI-assisted research and engineering, and how pushing proving closer to the speed of ordinary computation could unlock entirely new applications for verifiable computation. Related Links Jagged Polynomial Commitments (or: How to Stack Multilinears)The Random Oracle Methodology, RevisitedBlaze: Fast SNARKs from Interleaved RAA Codes TensorSwitch: Nearly Optimal Polynomial Commitments from Tensor Codes Flock: Fast Proving for Batch Boolean Computations VEIL: Lightweight Zero-Knowledge for Hash-Based Multilinear Proof SystemsBolt: Faster SNARKs from Sketched CodeszkGolf WebsiteProving as Fast as Computing: Succinct Arguments with Constant Prover Overhead SNARK.fast WebsiteZK Podcast Episode: Error Correcting Codes & Information Theory with Ron RothblumFiat-Shamir via List-Recoverable Codes (or: Parallel Repetition of GMW is not Zero-Knowledge) Delegating Computation: Interactive Proofs for MugglesHow to Prove False Statements: Practical Attacks on Fiat-Shamir **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Sub...

The Evolution from ZKP2P to Peer with Richard Liang

Sep 9, 2026 46 min

This week, Anna catches up with Richard Liang from Peer, formerly ZKP2P. They trace the project’s evolution over the past two years, from their initial ZKP2P product that used ZK email proofs to connect Venmo payments with on-chain USDC, to their use of ZK TLS, and most recently, their move to using TEEs (trusted execution environments) and the rebrand to Peer. Richard breaks down what motivated each shift and how the team has navigated the trade-offs around privacy, speed, and UX. The conversation then explores Peer’s current approach to connecting traditional payment platforms and stablecoins, including why “ephemeral privacy” makes TEEs a compelling fit for their use case and what the move away from ZK has unlocked. Richard and Anna also reflect on the broader evolution of ZK from an experimental technology into infrastructure that increasingly underpins real world applications. Finally, they discuss Peer’s expansion into payments, its ambitions to support more currencies and fintech platforms around the world, and how AI is changing both the team’s development process and the possibilities for agentic payments. Related Links Peer X Profile Peer Pay X ProfilePeer WebsiteAnnouncement of ZKP2P becoming PeerPeer Docs RepoZK Podcast: ZKP2P with Brian and RichardZK Hack Lisbon 2023ZK EmailZK Podcast: Is ZK dead? Or has it just begun? With the ZK Pod co-hosts **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address Read transcript

Minimmit, Multimmit and the New Consensus Frontier with Patrick O'Grady

Aug 5, 2026 1 hr 12 min

This week, Anna and Guillermo are joined by Patrick O'Grady, founder of Commonware. They discuss his journey from Coinbase and Avalanche to building Commonware, a Rust library of composable primitives for blockchain development. They explore Commonware's "anti-framework" philosophy, why it gives developers control over every layer of the stack, and how its modular approach differs from traditional blockchain SDKs. The conversation then turns to consensus research, examining how changing assumptions around Byzantine fault tolerance have unlocked faster consensus designs. Patrick explains the motivation behind Commonware's new protocols, Minimmit and Multimmit, discusses the influence of Simplex and Solana's Alpenglow, and shares how Commonware combines engineering, research, and cryptography to build the next generation of blockchain infrastructure. Related Links CommonwareMinimmit: Fast Finality with Even Faster BlocksCommonware blog post announcing MinimmitSimplex Consensus: A Simple and Fast Consensus Protocol Commonware docs - Simplex ConsensusPatrick O’Grady’s X Post on Multimmit (July 2026)Multimmit: Extending Blocks for Faster Finality (draft)Alpenglow GitHub Progress UpdatesGolden: Lightweight Non-Interactive Distributed Key Generation **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address Read transcript

Private Information Retrieval (PIR) with Alex Hoover

Jul 29, 2026 1 hr 4 min

In this episode, Anna and Kobi are joined by Alex Hoover, cryptographer and Assistant Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology. They explore Private Information Retrieval (PIR)—a cryptographic primitive that lets users query public databases without revealing what they're looking for. They trace PIR's evolution from its early theoretical foundations to modern, practical constructions, unpack key variants like batch and keyword PIR, and discuss emerging blockchain applications, from private state queries to Merkle proof generation. They also examine the latest research making PIR increasingly practical, and why it could become a core building block for privacy-preserving systems. A quick note: Alex mentioned during the interview that preprocessing in SimplePIR is independent of the database. But it is in fact independent of the queried index, and does depend on the database. He asked us to highlight this correction Related Links One Server for the Price of Two: Simple and Fast Single-Server Private Information RetrievalDon’t be Dense: Efficient Keyword PIR for Sparse DatabasesThe two papers that introduced client-side preprocessing:PPY18CK20 Piano: Extremely Simple, Single-Server PIR with Sublinear Server Computation Simple and Practical Amortized Sublinear Private Information Retrieval using Dummy Subsets Plinko: Single-Server PIR with Efficient Updates via Invertible PRFs (builds on Piano and RMS) Doubly Efficient Private Information Retrieval and Fully Homomorphic RAM Computation from Ring LWE (LMW23) Lower Bounds for PIR with Preprocessing from Blackbox Cryptography **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address Read transcript

Alex Ozdemir on where Theorem Provers and ZK meet

Jul 15, 2026 1 hr 1 min

This week, Anna and Nico are joined by Alex Ozdemir, Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech, to explore the intersection of formal verification and zero knowledge. They begin by revisiting the evolution of the ZK DSL landscape since Alex's last appearance, discussing the rise of ZKVMs, new language tooling, and how his compiler infrastructure project, CirC, has evolved. The conversation then dives into formal verification and theorem proving, covering SMT solvers, Lean, and zkPi, the first zkSNARK for proofs expressed in Lean. They also discuss compiler correctness, the challenges of verifying cryptographic systems, and why verifiable software will become increasingly important as the industry matures. Related Links zkPi: Proving Lean Theorems in Zero-Knowledge CirC: Compiler infrastructure for proof systems, software verification, and more Kevin Lacker on AI-Assisted Theorem Proving and Acorn Building ZK-Powered AI Guardrails with Wyatt Bennolean Ethereum Part 6: Formal Verification with Alex Hicks Groth16, IVC and Formal Verification with Nexuslean Ethereum ZK Podcast and Alex Ozdemir ZK languages with Alex OzdemirzkSessions: Alex Ozdemir - The Taxonomy of Circuit LanguageszkStudyClub: Collaborative zkSNARKs (Alex Ozdemir, Stanford University)zkStudyClub: Unifying Compiler Infrastructure for SNARKs, SMTs, & More w/ Alex Ozdemir (Stanford)ZK HACK - Introduction to Domain Specific Languages (DSLs) - Alex Ozdemir **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Sergey Gorbunov on TEEs and the Arc Privacy Sector

Jul 8, 2026 1 hr 7 min

This week, Anna speaks with Sergey Gorbunov, Engineer at Circle, about Arc, Circle’s new EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain, and its approach to a TEE based on-chain privacy. They begin by revisiting Sergey’s journey from Axelar to Circle, reflecting on the evolution of cross-chain infrastructure, the aftermath of the Terra collapse, and how Circle’s acquisition of Interop Labs led to the development of Arc. The conversation then turns to Arc’s architecture, including its privacy layer, known as the Privacy Sector, and the decision to build it around Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) rather than ZKPs or FHE. Sergey explains the design trade-offs, discussing privacy, composability, enterprise infrastructure, and why he believes TEEs are currently the most practical foundation for programmable private execution. Related Links Axelar NetworkArc Privacy Sector: Keeping Blockchain State, Transactions, and Accounts Private and Quantum SafeCircle’s Post-Quantum Security RoadmapArc Documentation Arc: An open Layer-1 blockchain purpose-built for stablecoin financeSergey’s X Post on the Arc Privacy Sector paper Ian Mier’s X Response to the Arc Privacy Sector works **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

zkMesh+ Exclusive Clip – Benedikt Bünz on the threat of AI

Jul 1, 2026 6 min

Last week on the show, we interviewed Benedikt Bünz, Chief Scientist at Espresso Systems and Professor at NYU. The conversation ran long, so we're releasing some of the extra material as an exclusive clip for zkMesh+ subscribers. We've also included the first five minutes here. In this segment, Anna, Kobi, and Benedikt discuss whether AI poses a genuine threat to the foundations of cryptography. They explore the 'immune system' metaphor for AI's dual role in security: it can uncover bugs and vulnerabilities, while also strengthening defenses through tools like formal verification. The conversation closes with the question of whether AI could ever break fundamental cryptographic primitives—or even invent new physics to do it. To hear the full discussion, head to https://zkmesh.substack.com/subscribe and become a paid subscriber.

Pushing the Limits of Proof Systems with Benedikt Bünz

Jun 24, 2026 1 hr 8 min

In this episode, Anna and Kobi speak with Benedikt Bünz, Chief Scientist at Espresso Systems and Professor at NYU. They start with a quick update on Espresso's architecture, its role in delivering fast finality across chains, and the challenges of building high-throughput blockchain infrastructure. The conversation then turns to Benedikt’s recent research on folding schemes, hash-based proof systems such as Arc and Warp, and Golden, a non-interactive distributed key generation protocol for threshold signatures. The episode later explores Flock, a new proof system for standard hash functions such as Blake3 and SHA-256 that exceeds Ethereum's post-quantum proving targets without relying on specialized hash functions. They conclude by discussing proof system performance, post-quantum cryptography, and the use of AI-assisted development in cryptographic engineering. Related Links Bulletproofs — Short Proofs for Confidential Transactions and MoreProtostar — Generic Efficient Accumulation/Folding for Special-Sound ProtocolsHyperPlonk — Plonk with Linear-Time Prover and High-Degree Custom GatesNova — Recursive Zero-Knowledge Arguments from Folding SchemesArc — Accumulation for Reed–Solomon CodesLinear-Time Accumulation SchemesGolden: Lightweight Non-Interactive Distributed Key GenerationFlock: Fast Proving for Batch Boolean ComputationsTensorSwitch — Nearly Optimal Polynomial Commitments from Tensor CodesBolt: Faster SNARKs from Sketched CodesLigero — Lightweight Sublinear Arguments Without Trusted Setup Systems and Infrastructure Espresso Systems DocumentationCAPE (Configurable Asset Privacy for Ethereum)Monero Additional Reading Vitalik Buterin — The Splurge: Post-Quantum EthereumAccumulation without HomomorphismNeo and SuperNeo: Post-Quantum Folding with Pay-Per-Bit CommitmentsEspresso’s HotShot: A Consensus Protocol Designed for Rollups **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter...

Announcement: zkMesh+ Exclusive Clip – Vericoding and SMT

Jun 18, 2026 1 min

No main episode this week, but we’ve got an exclusive bonus clip for our zkMesh+ subscribers! Continuing our conversation from last week, Wyatt Benno (ICME) describes the world of 'vericoding' - the next stage after the era of 'vibecoding.' Vericoding uses formal mathematics to prove that AI code is actually correct and help prevent bugs in AI-written code. We go deep on SMT (Satisfiability Modulo Theories), a decades-old verification technique originally built for cloud infrastructure, and discuss how SMT can now take a plain-English description and mathematically verify that your AI-generated code does exactly what you want it to do. If you want to hear this bonus clip, please head over to zkMesh and become a paid subscriber! Link to subscribe: https://zkmesh.substack.com/subscribe

Building ZK-Powered AI Guardrails with Wyatt Benno

Jun 10, 2026 1 hr 7 min

In this episode, Anna and Nico chat with Wyatt Benno, technical founder of ICME Labs. They trace Wyatt’s start into ZK in the ZKHack Discord and Justin Thaler’s study group before diving into ICME’s early work on folding schemes, local proving, and NovaNet. The conversation then shifts to ICME’s work at the intersection of AI and ZK. Wyatt introduces ICMEPreflight, a ZK-based guardrail tool for AI. They then explore how succinct verification and privacy-preserving proofs can help secure agentic commerce and provide stronger guarantees than existing guardrail approaches. They also discuss Jolt Atlas, ICME’s zero-knowledge machine learning framework, the connections between ZK and AI and the challenges of scaling ZKML. Finally, Wyatt encourages future advances in ZKML that could unlock privacy and verifiability in AI systems. Related Links ICME LabsNova: Recursive Zero-Knowledge Arguments from Folding Schemes (2022)Jolt Atlas: Verifiable Inference via Lookup Arguments in Zero Knowledge (2026)ZK Podcast:Is ZK dead? Or has it just begun? with the ZK Pod co-hosts ZK Podcast:Isogenies with Luca De FeoZK Podcast:How ZK inspired AI Watermarking with Miranda ChristNeo: Lattice-based folding scheme for CCS over small fields and pay-per-bit commitments (2025)Awesome Folding Schemes Repo by Lurk LabsProofs, Arguments, and Zero-Knowledge by Justin Thaler Smart contracts have lost users billions of dollars to bugs. Zero-knowledge protocols are next. zkSecurity audits the full stack and publishes open research on ZK vulnerabilities. Head to zksecurity.xyz to learn more. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

The Quantum Question Panel – Live from zkSummit14

May 27, 2026 58 min

This episode was recorded live at zkSummit14 in Rome. In it, Anna and Nico Mohnblatt hosted the live ‘Quantum Question’ panel which began as an interview, but became something harder to categorize: part seminar, part group therapy, part improv theater, and — depending on the timeline you expect for viable quantum computers — part emergency briefing. The logistics of the panel were really unusual. The guests were meant to be Justin Drake and Dan Boneh, but Dan’s flight was delayed. And so the panel began with just Justin Drake and the hosts — what someone in the room jokingly described as the highest moderator-to-panelist ratio in zkSummit history. To compensate, the format broke open: researchers from the audience, including Daira-Emma Hopwood from the Zcash team and Jens Groth (author of Groth16), joined the conversation. A park bench materialized in real time. The conversation veered into the history of quantum computing research, why Shor’s algorithm threatens today’s public-key cryptography and pairing-based SNARKs, fault-tolerant ‘logical qubits’, physical qubit fidelities, and why neutral-atom machines—despite slower cycle times—may be the most practical path to ‘Q-Day.’ The group also debates the rush-to-post-quantum pitfalls, the benefits of lattice-based post-quantum schemes versus hash-based ones, and how hybrid transitions are unfolding in practice. This was a truly chaotic, spontaneous, informative and fun session at zk14 with some great contributors from attendees and community members, we hope you enjoy it! Related Links ZK14 - The Quantum Question Panel VideoEpisode 391 -lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin DrakeEpisode 400 - Quantum Advances, Hybrid Signatures and SNARKs to the Rescue with Dan BonehQuantum Algorithm ZooPOSEIDON: A New Hash Function for Zero-Knowledge Proof SystemsPoseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash FunctionSecuring Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies against Quantum Vulnerabilities: Resource Estimates and Mit...

From Access Control to Encrypted Execution with Auryn Macmillan

May 20, 2026 53 min

In this episode, Anna chats with Auryn Macmillan, founder of Gnosis Guild. They check in on Zodiac, which started as a DAO toolset and has evolved into a modular access control suite for on-chain entities. They discuss the state of DAOs today—what's worked, what hasn't, and how tools like Zodiac might have mitigated large-scale multisig hacks like the recent Bybit exploit. The conversation then shifts to The Interfold (formerly Enclave), Gnosis Guild's new project combining FHE, ZK, and MPC to create encrypted execution environments. These enable multiple parties to collectively compute over private data and produce a verifiable output without any single trusted coordinator. They explore use cases like secret ballot voting and sealed bid auctions, the broader potential for collaborative analytics and private AI training, and how this fits into the larger privacy ecosystem. Related Links Charting Zodiac & DAOs with Nathan Ginnever and Auryn Macmillantheinterfold.comgnosisguild.orgHow Aztec Raised $59M With 17,000 Bidders Using Uniswap’s CCA Check out the talks from zkSummit14 in Rome on our YouTube channel here. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Quantum Advances, Hybrid Signatures and SNARKs to the Rescue with Dan Boneh

May 6, 2026 1 hr 24 min

In this 400th episode, Anna Rose welcomes back Dan Boneh, professor of computer science and electrical engineering at Stanford University, for a wide-ranging conversation on quantum computing, post-quantum cryptography, and the evolving role of ZK. They discuss Google's recent quantum algorithm announcement—what the paper actually showed, why it was proven in zero knowledge, and the cryptographic ideas embedded in the work. Dan shares his perspective on quantum timelines, the risks of rushing the post-quantum transition, and why algebraic signatures deserve more attention than hash-based ones in the blockchain world. The conversation covers hybrid signature schemes, the web's quiet transition to post-quantum cryptography, and the intersection of AI and ZK. Dan also highlights witness encryption, explains why encrypted mempools are generating new research questions, and closes with an update on the Ethereum Foundation's Proximity Prize. Related Links Episode 100 with Dan BonehEpisode 256 with Dan BonehEpisode 345 with Dan BonehEpisode 390 lean Ethereum Miniseries Kick-off with Anna & NicoEpisode 359 Lattice-based ZK Systems with Vadim LyubashevskyEpisode 364 AI and ZK Auditing with David WongEpisode 382 Kevin Lacker on AI-Assisted Theorem Proving and AcornSecuring Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies against Quantum Vulnerabilities: Resource Estimates and MitigationsOptimal Proximity Gaps for Subspace-Design Codes and (Random) Reed-Solomon CodesOratomic (Neutral Atoms Startup)Proximity PrizeThe Trail of Bits Blog:We beat Google’s zero-knowledge proof of quantum cryptanalysis **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Is ZK dead? Or has it just begun? with the ZK Pod co-hosts

Apr 22, 2026 1 hr 2 min

In this episode, Anna is joined by co-hosts Guillermo Angeris, Nico Mohnblatt, and Tarun Chitra for a reunion on this 399th episode. They reflect on how they each joined the show and how both the podcast and the ZK space have evolved over time, before diving into discussion on whether ZK is ‘dead’ or simply maturing. They explore its shift from niche research to hype-driven narrative to becoming a widely used but increasingly invisible piece of infrastructure. They go on to discuss the changing landscape of ZK companies, the explosion of new applications, and the trend of teams using ZK as an implicit primitive rather than a headline feature. The episode closes with a broader reflection on decentralisation, usability, and what the next phase of ZK adoption might look like. Related Links Between Two ZK Events with Nico and GuillermoBuilding Private AMMs with Guillermo Angeris2021 2022 with Co-hosts & FriendsStatistical modeling with PoS systems with Tarun ChitraIndistinguishability Obfuscation (iO) with Huijia (Rachel) Lin Error Correcting Codes & Information Theory with Ron RothblumHow ZK inspired AI Watermarking with Miranda ChristEthproofs, zkVM Benchmarks & the Unstoppable Rise of ZK with Justin DrakeDecentralized Storage Part 1: Looking backDecentralized Storage Part 2: SolutionsVerifiable Databases with Shyam & Emanuele from Provably zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Verifiable Databases with Shyam & Emanuele from Provably

Apr 8, 2026 56 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt speak with Shyam Duraishwami and Emanuele Ragnoli, co-founders of Provably. They trace the origins of Provably, from early work on data ecosystems and blockchain infrastructure to the launch of their verifiable database approach, exploring how advances in cryptography and database theory enabled this shift. The conversation dives into what a verifiable database actually is and how this contrasts with Merkle-based systems and zkVMs, explaining how Provably’s use of polynomial and vector commitments enables performance that scales with query complexity rather than dataset size, opening the door to large-scale, real-world applications. They close with a discussion on emerging applications from proving insights over private blockchain data to enabling verifiable analytics in Web2 and multi-agent systems—and the broader implications for data integrity in an increasingly data-rich world. Related Links Tavloid: towards Simple Verifiable Spreadsheets and Databases by CampanelliLinear-map Vector Commitments and their Practical Applications by Campanelli, Nitulescu, Ràfols, Zacharakis and Zapico qedb: Expressive and Modular Verifiable Databases (without SNARKs) by Botta, Bottoni, Campanelli, Ragnoli and Trombetta Applications to attend zkSummit14 are open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early. Apply at www.zksummit.com zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Dev Ojha on the Osmosis Story and his Return to Privacy

Apr 1, 2026 1 hr 12 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Guillermo Angeris catch up with Dev Ojha, co-founder of Osmosis and longtime ZK researcher. They revisit the story of Osmosis since its 2021 launch as a key Cosmos DEX, its role in early IBC adoption, the DeFi summer surge, the Terra collapse fallout, and the later pivot by the team toward privacy-focused cross-chain tools. The conversation then turns to Dev’s return to privacy tech, focusing on Zcash. They explore ongoing challenges like shielded sync, nullifier bloat, and scaling shielded transactions, along with proposed solutions involving private information retrieval (PIR), oblivious synchronization, evolving nullifiers, recursive SNARKs, faster block times with pre-confirmation ideas, and paths toward post-quantum recoverability. They wrap-up with a discussion about the need for further zkVM optimization and his vision for a more private future. Related Links OsmosisZcashNamadaFractal: Post-Quantum and Transparent Recursive Proofs from HolographyTachyon: Scaling Zcash with Oblivious SynchronizationIBC ProtocolPrivate Information Retrieval (PIR)Arkworks Related Previous ZK Episodes Sean Bowe on Tachyon and the Evolution of Zcash Applications to attend the zkSummit14 on May 7 in Rome are open! This edition has limited spots — we recommend applying early at www.zksummit.com zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

lean Ethereum Part 6: Formal Verification with Alex Hicks

Mar 25, 2026 57 min

https://youtu.be/9u4fu7TiZCA In this episode, Nico Mohnblatt speaks with Alex Hicks from the Ethereum Foundation about formal verification and its role in the lean Ethereum vision. This is the 6th and final episode of the lean Ethereum mini-series. Nico and Alex explore what it means to produce machine-checked proofs across the ZK stack, from RISC-V and zkVMs to circuits, compilers, and cryptographic primitives, and how these pieces connect in practice. The conversation also covers Alex’s path from physics and math into the ZK space, how the EF effort took shape, and the community push to formally verify the entire stack using proof assistants like Lean. They discuss efforts to formalize zkVM components, the tradeoffs between proof assistants and automated solvers, and what real progress looks like after a year and a half of focused work. Related Links lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drakelean Ethereum Part 2: PQ Signatures and Poseidon with Dmitry and Benediktlean Ethereum Part 3: Security of PQ SNARKs and an update about the Proximity Prizelean Ethereum Part 4: leanVM, a Custom VM for Signature Aggregationlean Ethereum Part 5: Devnets & Upgrade Coordination with Will and Raúllean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressLean Proof AssistantIsabelle Proof AssistantEthereum Foundation Applications to attend the zkSummit14 on May 7 in Rome, Italy are open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early at www.zksummit.com zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

lean Ethereum Part 5: Devnets & Upgrade Coordination with Will and Raúl

Mar 18, 2026 39 min

https://youtu.be/Ul2bs8INF0k In this episode Nico Mohnblatt chats with Will Corcoran and Raúl Kripalani from the Ethereum Foundation. This is part 5 in the 6-part leanEthereum miniseries, shifting focus from the cryptographic primitives and LeanVM stack to the real-world integration happening through devnets, specs, and cross-team coordination. They dive into the human coordination layer, how independent teams align on post-quantum signatures, SNARK aggregation, and protocol changes, plus the networking upgrades needed for larger payloads. Raúl explains the shift from today's libp2p stack to a purpose-built Eth P2P next-gen version optimised for Ethereum's workloads, including better broadcast layers, erasure coding, and control planes to handle bandwidth competition between execution and consensus layers. Related Links lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drakelean Ethereum Part 2: PQ Signatures and Poseidon with Dmitry and Benediktlean Ethereum Part 3: Security of PQ SNARKs and an update about the Proximity Prizelean Ethereum Part 4: leanVM, a Custom VM for Signature Aggregationlean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressEthereum Foundation Applications to attend the zkSummit14 on May 7 in Rome, Italy are open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early at www.zksummit.com zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

lean Ethereum Part 4: leanVM, a Custom VM for Signature Aggregation

Mar 11, 2026 32 min

https://youtu.be/YWkyvTrwtQU In this episode of the lean Ethereum miniseries, Nico Mohnblatt speaks with Thomas Coratger and Emile from the Ethereum Foundation about the design and implementation of LeanVM, a minimal zkVM created to support post-quantum signature aggregation on Ethereum’s consensus layer. They explain why the team chose a VM architecture over fixed circuits and how LeanVM takes inspiration from Cairo with just 4 opcodes and 2 precompiles to keep the instruction set extremely small and make formal verification easier. The conversation also covers LeanVM implementation choices like using Plonky3 and WHIR for efficient proving on CPUs, benchmarks for aggregation speed, and the role of Python specs in testing client interop. They share ongoing efforts to optimize low-level primitives and invite community input on the project. Related Links lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drakelean Ethereum Part 2: PQ Signatures and Poseidon with Dmitry and Benediktlean Ethereum Part 3: Security of PQ SNARKs and an update about the Proximity Prizelean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressCairo zkVMWHIR: Reed–Solomon Proximity Testing with Super-Fast VerificationMinimal zkVM for Lean Ethereum by Emile Repos leanEthereum github organizationleanSig repo (optimized Rust implementation of XMSS for Ethereum usage)leanSpec repo (the Python spec of the lean consensus)WHIR repoPlonky3 repoleanVM Applications to speak at zkSummit14 close this Sunday March 15! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early. Apply at www.zksummit.com zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL -...

lean Ethereum Part 3: Security of PQ SNARKs and an update about the Proximity Prize

Mar 4, 2026 36 min

https://youtu.be/v8SGKS3T-3A In this episode, Nico Mohnblatt speaks with Giacomo Fenzi from EPFL and Antonio Sanso from the Ethereum Foundation. For this 3rd instalment of the lean Ethereum miniseries, they talk about the theory and security behind post-quantum SNARKs. They dive into the hash-based proof systems underpinning LeanVM, multilinear approaches like sumcheck, and how these fit into Ethereum's post-quantum upgrades. They cover the $1M Proximity Prize and the recent wave of papers on proximity gaps, correlated agreement, and list decoding. From negative results near the Elias bound to breakthroughs beyond the Johnson bound for certain codes, the discussion explores how new results slightly degrade conjectural security, why the 128-bit threshold still matters, and what it means to move from conjectural to provable security in large-scale systems like Ethereum. Related Links lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drakelean Ethereum Part 2: PQ Signatures and Poseidon with Dmitry and Benediktlean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressleanSig ImplementationPoseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash FunctionOn Proximity Gaps for Reed–Solomon CodesProximity Gaps in Interleaved CodesOn Reed–Solomon Proximity Gaps ConjecturesOptimal Proximity Gaps for Subspace-Design Codes and (Random) Reed-Solomon CodesAll Polynomial Generators Preserve Distance with Mutual Correlated Agreement Additional Resources Soundcalc GitHubProximity prizeOn the Distribution of the Distances of Random WordsSmall-field hash-based SNARGs are less sound than conjectured by Fenzi and SansoWHIR: Reed–Solomon Proximity Testing with Super-Fast VerificationSTIR: Reed–Solomon Proximity Testing with Fewer QueriesLinear-Time Accumulation SchemesTensorSwitch Applications to speak at zkSummit14 are now open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early. Apply at www.zksummit.com zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State...

lean Ethereum Part 2: PQ Signatures and Poseidon with Dmitry and Benedikt

Feb 25, 2026 35 min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh8hbz1nqxQ In this episode, Nico Mohnblatt speaks with Benedikt Wagner and Dmitry Khovratovich, cryptography researchers at the Ethereum Foundation, for the second instalment of the lean Ethereum miniseries. They explore leanSig, a hash-based multi-signature scheme designed as a post-quantum replacement for BLS in Ethereum consensus. The conversation walks through how one-time signatures and Merkle trees can be combined to support long-lived validators, and why SNARK-based aggregation is needed in a post-quantum setting. The talk touches on key tradeoffs like signature size versus verification speed, encoding challenges behind their At the Top of the Hypercube work, and the role of Poseidon as the core hash function. Related Links lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drakelean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressleanSig ImplementationPoseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash FunctionAt the Top of the Hypercube – Better Size-Time Tradeoffs for Hash-Based SignaturesHash-Based Multi-Signatures for Post-Quantum EthereumTechnical Note: LeanSig for Post-Quantum EthereumAborting Random Oracles: How to Build them, How to Use themThe Billion Dollar Merkle Tree Poseidon: A New Hash Function for Zero-Knowledge Proof SystemsPoseidon Cryptanalysis Initiative Applications to speak at zkSummit14 are now open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early. Apply at www.zksummit.com zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drake

Feb 18, 2026 35 min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dad2UonQ9Ag&feature=youtu.be In this episode, Nico Mohnblatt sits down with Justin Drake from the Ethereum Foundation to kick off a miniseries on lean Ethereum, a bold vision to rethink Ethereum’s consensus, data, and execution layers. Justin outlines how post-quantum cryptography, faster finality, and enshrined zkEVMs fit together into a cohesive redesign. At the heart of it is leanVM, an ultra-minimal zkVM built to aggregate hash-based signatures and recursively verify proofs, potentially turning post-quantum migration into a scalability win. They also explore formal verification efforts, the shift from conjectured to provable proximity gaps, Poseidon2 as a hash candidate, and how this work could set a post-quantum standard not just for Ethereum, but for other blockchains as well. This episode sets the stage for deeper dives in coming episodes. Related Links Ethproofslean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressPoseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash Functiongithub.com/leanEthereum/leanSpecgithub.com/leanEthereum/leanMultisig Applications to speak at zkSummit14 on May 7 in Rome, Italy are now open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early. Apply at www.zksummit.com zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

lean Ethereum Miniseries Kick-off with Anna & Nico

Feb 18, 2026 9 min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbskOlf7oA0 In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt kick-off a new six-part video miniseries exploring lean Ethereum. Lean Ethereum is a proposal initiated by the EF that weaves zero-knowledge cryptography and post-quantum upgrades throughout Ethereum’s stack. They discuss why the topic deserves a deeper series, what listeners can expect from upcoming episodes, and how this new video-first format will differ from the podcast’s usual style. The conversation previews key themes like hash-based signatures, formal verification, proximity gaps, and the broader goal of future-proofing blockchain protocols with minimal cryptographic assumptions. They also share details about the upcoming zkSummit14 and how the community can get involved. Related Links Ethproofslean EthereumLean Consensus R&D ProgressPoseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash Function Applications to speak at zkSummit14 on May 7 in Rome, Italy are now open! This edition will be more intimate with limited spots — we recommend applying early. Apply at www.zksummit.com zkMesh+ live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Bonus: zkMesh+ & Upcoming Miniseries

Feb 11, 2026 1 min

There’s no full-length episode this week, but we wanted to highlighting a new bonus segment available exclusively to zkMesh+ subscribers. In this, we revisit last week’s conversation with Ian Miers, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland. Ian dives deeper into: The renewed cultural focus on privacyThe evolving narrative around ZcashHis recent research on reducing nullifier state growth without relying on traditional pruning Join zkMesh+ as a paid subscriber to get access to this and all our extra members-only perks. https://zkmesh.substack.com/subscribe We return next week with a 6-part series on Lean Ethereum… stay tuned!

Stateful ZK Identity with Ian Miers

Feb 4, 2026 1 hr 2 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt welcome back Ian Miers, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, to continue the conversation from a previous episode and dig deeper into his latest work like zk-Promises, zk-Cookies, and Cryptographic Personas. These ZK tools aim to build social networks that protect user privacy while maintaining integrity, like anonymous moderation and reputation systems without central databases. Ian explains how they differ from traditional creds but share ideas around proving attributes securely. The conversation explores real-world applications, such as banning bad actors without de-anonymizing them, setting rules in private group chats, and creating self-sovereign identities that persist over time. Ian also touches on challenges like stolen accounts, trolling, age checks, and how these primitives could shape future online interactions. Related Links Ian Miers: Academic profile and publicationszk-creds: Flexible Anonymous Credentials from zkSNARKs and Existing Identity Infrastructurezk-promises: Anonymous Moderation, Reputation, and Blocking from Anonymous Credentials with Callbackszk-Cookies: Continuous Anonymous Authentication for the WebCryptographic Personas: Responsible Pseudonyms Without De-AnonymizationZexe: Enabling Decentralized Private ComputationZerocoin to zk-creds: Modern ZK History with Ian Miers zkMesh+ is live! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Bonus: Join zkMesh+ for some bonus podcast content!

Jan 29, 2026 1 min

No full length episode this week, but we have released an additional podcast clip with Sean Bowe to our a zkMesh+ paid subscribers. Sean Bowe is a Zcash core developer and lead on Tachyon. In this clip, Sean shares his thoughts on the question of quantum computers and their real impact on blockchains and ZK systems. Join zkMesh+ as a paid subscriber to get access to this and all our extra members-only perks. https://zkmesh.substack.com/subscribe

Sean Bowe on Tachyon and the Evolution of Zcash

Jan 21, 2026 1 hr 13 min

In this episode, Anna Rose catches up with Sean Bowe, a Zcash core developer now leading work on Tachyon, the upcoming Zcash shielded pool upgrade. They discuss the evolution of Zcash’s technical roadmap over the past five years and how it has influenced the design of Tachyon. Sean then walks through the cryptographic ideas behind Tachyon, including its proving systems, new techniques for pruning nullifiers without disrupting other parts of the protocol, and how the upgrade aims to address Zcash’s remaining scalability bottlenecks. They also explore plans for Zcash governance, wallet UX, and the long-term outlook for privacy-focused zero-knowledge systems. Related Links Tachyon WebsiteZcashElectric Coin Company (ECC)Halo (ZK Proof System)Orchard Shielded PoolTachyon (Zcash Upgrade)ZK Podcast: Halo with Sean Bowe and Daira Hopwood from ECCZK Podcast: Sean Bowe on SNARKs, Trusted Setups and Elliptic Curve CryptographyzkSummit4: Sean Bowe on Halo: Recursive Proofs without Trusted SetupsA Note on Notes: Towards Scalable Anonymous Payments via Evolving Nullifiers and Oblivious Synchronization by Bowe and Miers zkMesh+ launches today! Subscribe for zkMesh+ and catch the latest State of ZK 2025 report. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Bonus: Welcome to 2026 from ZK Podcast & zkMesh+

Jan 19, 2026 2 min

We share some updates about the upcoming episodes and the ZK Podcast & ZK Hack ecosystem - specifically zkMesh+ launching this Wednesday. zkMesh+ will bring together work from the Zero Knowledge Podcast, ZK Hack, and ZK Mesh. Subscribers will have access to a set of additional resources, including: the quarterly State of ZK Reportmonthly addendums on adjacent technologies such as FHE, iO, and MPCearly access and discounts for events like zkSummit and ZK Hack hackathonsselect subscriber-only Zero Knowledge Podcast segments and other experimental content If that sounds interesting, you can subscribe ahead of launch directly on the ZK Mesh Substack https://zkmesh.substack.com/subscribe

Year in Review: ZK Podcast in 2025 & Beyond

Dec 3, 2025 14 min

In this end-of-year episode, Anna recaps the major ZK themes of 2025 and gives a preview of what’s coming in 2026 — new episodes, a mini-series, zkSummit14, and the rollout of ZK Mesh Plus, a unified space for newsletters, educational content, and events. She highlights this year’s core research threads, from lattices and Ligero to quantum security, ZK-ID systems, emerging applications, and the ongoing push toward better proving benchmarks. Anna wraps with reflections on why privacy tech is becoming more urgent in the age of AI and what the community will be exploring next year. Related Links Ecosystem ZK Whiteboard Sessions ZK MeshSubscribe to ZK MeshZK Podcast substackState of ZK Report ZK Systems Story Back to the Future with Zero KnowledgeZero Knowledge Systems, Privacy and Security with Jonathan WilkinsThe Founding of Zero Knowledge Systems with Austin Hill Lattices Implementing LatticeFold with Matthew and Albert from Nethermind Lattices, Folding, & Symphony with Binyi ChenZK Whiteboard:Lattice-based SNARKs, w/ Vadim LyubashevskyZK Whiteboard:LatticeFold, w/ Binyi Chen Ligero Ligero for Memory-Efficient ZK with MuthuZK Whiteboard:The Ligero Proof System, w/ Muthu Venkitasubramaniam Quantum Quantum Engineering with Jelena VučkovićQuantum Punks with Alex and NicolaCountdown to Q-Day with Project 11 ZK-ID Bringing ID Onchain with SelfzkPDF and zkID with Vikas Rushi and Ying TongEvolving ZK Identity from Iden3 to Privado & BillionsZKPassport, Obsidion & the Emerging Noir EcosystemBuilding ZK Registries Onchain with Rarimo More How ZK inspired AI Watermarking with Miranda ChristLighter, Perp DEXs and Custom ZK CircuitszkTLS with Maddy from Reclaim ZKTorch & the Evolution of ZKML with Daniel Kang Zerocoin to zk-creds: Modern ZK History with Ian MiersEthproofs, zkVM Benchmarks & the Unstoppable Rise of ZK with Justin Drake ZK Benchmarks with Conner Swann Verifiable Key Management and TEEs with TurnkeyTLSNotary with Dan and Sinu Local-First with grjte and Go...

Pratyush Mishra on Tiny Proofs, Folding, Low-Memory SNARKs and More

Nov 26, 2025 1 hr 2 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt catch up with Pratyush Mishra, Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania. They discuss the various themes in his ZK research and some of the works he has been a part of in the last few years. They explore how Garuda and Pari achieve extremely small SNARK proofs, how Arc facilitates hash-based folding, proximity proofs with FICS and FACS, his work on low-memory SNARKs, and ZK applications outside the blockchain space. Pratyush shares how these ideas intersect with one another, from faster proving to smallest proof sizes to real-world uses. He also touches on his collaborations with other leading cryptographers like Benedikt Bünz and Alessandro Chiesa, and how ZK is finding its place in broader computer science. Related Links Garuda and Pari: Faster and Smaller SNARKs via Equifficient Polynomial CommitmentsArc: Accumulation for Reed--Solomon CodesFICS and FACS: Fast IOPPs and Accumulation via Code-SwitchingScribe: Low-memory SNARKs via Read-Write StreamingCoral: Fast Succinct Non-Interactive Zero-Knowledge CFG ProofsHekaton: Horizontally-Scalable zkSNARKs via Proof AggregationQuery-Optimal IOPPs for Linear-Time Encodable CodesTime-Space Trade-Offs for SumcheckBlendy: A Time-Space Tradeoff for the Sumcheck ProverAccumulation without HomomorphismvSQL: Verifying Arbitrary SQL Queries over Dynamic Outsourced DatabasesSuccinct Arguments in the Quantum Random Oracle ModelLattices, Folding, & Symphony with Binyi Chen Aztec is a privacy-first Layer 2 on Ethereum supporting smart contracts with both private and public state and execution. Details about Aztec’s technology, research, and community programmes are available at aztec.network. ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack in collaboration with Bain Capital Crypto. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as...

Lattices, Folding, & Symphony with Binyi Chen

Nov 19, 2025 1 hr 5 min

In this episode Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt chat with Binyi Chen, researcher at Stanford University. They discuss his work on lattice-based folding schemes, revisit LatticeFold and LatticeFold+, and cover how lattices enable low-cost, post-quantum-secure folding by replacing Pedersen hashes with Ajtai commitments. They discuss the early folding work from 2023 and how it has evolved and explore the advantages of lattices over other approaches in the folding context while also highlighting their tradeoffs. Binyi goes on to introduce Symphony, his new work that eliminates the need to implement Fiat-Shamir in the recursive verification circuit, and describes how that improves efficiency and removes the chances for a KRS-style attack. Related Links Binyi Chen’s WebsiteLatticeFold: A Lattice-based Folding Scheme and its Applications to Succinct Proof SystemsLatticeFold+: Faster, Simpler, Shorter Lattice-Based Folding for Succinct Proof SystemsSymphony: Scalable SNARKs in the Random Oracle Model from Lattice-Based High-Arity FoldingProtostar: Generic Efficient Accumulation/Folding for Special-sound ProtocolsZK Whiteboard Sessions:SEASON 3 MODULE 3: Lattice-based SNARKs, w/ Vadim LyubashevskyZK Whiteboard Sessions:SEASON 3 MODULE 4: LatticeFold, w/ Binyi ChenImplementing LatticeFold with Matthew and Albert from NethermindLattice-based ZK Systems with Vadim Lyubashevsky Further Reading Generating Hard Instances of Lattice Problems by M. Ajtai SWIFFT: A Modest Proposal for FFT HashingDelegating Computation: Interactive Proofs for MugglesHow to Prove False Statements: Practical Attacks on Fiat-ShamirBaseFold: Efficient Field-Agnostic Polynomial Commitment Schemes from Foldable CodesBlaze: Fast SNARKs from Interleaved RAA CodesNeo: Lattice-based folding scheme for CCS over small fields and pay-per-bit commitmentsLaBRADOR: Compact Proofs for R1CS from Module-SIS? Aztec is a privacy-first Layer 2 on Ethereum supporting smart contracts with both private and public...

The Quest for Practical iO with Machina iO

Nov 12, 2025 1 hr 2 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra chat with Sora Suegami and Enrico Bottazzi from Machina iO. They explain indistinguishability obfuscation (iO) technology and how they are working to bring this powerful cryptographic primitive from theoretical territory into the practical world. They discuss how the pair got into iO and how new assumptions like all-product LWE and evasive LWE will help bridge theory to practice. They explore the benchmarks, the challenges and opportunities of this cutting-edge privacy cryptography and cover potential optimizations and real-world uses. While iO is still far from being truly practical, their work shows tangible steps ahead and offers interesting insights into how this could actually work. Related Links Indistinguishability Obfuscation (iO) with Huijia (Rachel) LinMachina iODiamond iO: A Straightforward Construction of Indistinguishability Obfuscation from LatticesCompact Pseudorandom Functional Encryption from Evasive LWEIndistinguishability Obfuscation from Well-Founded Assumptions Lookup-Table Evaluation over Key-Homomorphic Encodings and KP-ABE for Nonlinear OperationsOriginal BGG+ paper:Fully Key-Homomorphic Encryption, Arithmetic Circuit ABE, and Compact Garbled Circuits∗Gentry’s classic thesis on FHE bootstrapping:A FULLY HOMOMORPHIC ENCRYPTION SCHEMEGentry (GGH+) paper for obfuscation for all circuits:Candidate Indistinguishability Obfuscation and Functional Encryption for all circuitsOptimal Broadcast Encryption and CP-ABE from Evasive Lattice AssumptionsEvasive LWE Assumptions: Definitions, Classes, and CounterexamplesLattice-Based Post-Quantum iO from Circular Security with Random Opening Assumption (Part II: zeroizing attacks against private-coin evasive LWE assumptions)Simple and General Counterexamples for Private-Coin Evasive LWEEvasive LWE: Attacks, Variants & Obfustopia ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack in collaboration with Bain Capital Crypto. It is focused...

Countdown to Q-Day with Project 11

Nov 5, 2025 1 hr 2 min

In this episode, Anna Rose chats with Alex Pruden and Conor Deegan from Project 11. They revisit the topic of quantum computing and explore the threat it poses to cryptographic systems like blockchains. As blockchain technology becomes increasingly integrated into global financial infrastructure — especially through stablecoins and banking rails — the stakes for quantum security continue to rise. Alex and Conor break down which algorithms are most at risk, why simple network upgrades won’t be enough, and what users will need to do to protect their own funds. They also outline potential mitigation strategies, including how Project 11 is approaching the challenge with post-quantum signature schemes, secure vaults, and a global namespace to coordinate user migrations ahead of “Q-Day.” The conversation also touched on how post-quantum thinking overlaps with zero-knowledge research, as hash- and lattice-based SNARKs offer resilience against future quantum attacks. Related Links Project 11Yellow PagesPQC Suite B GitHub Securing Sui in the Quantum Computing EraQuantum resource estimation for large scale quantum algorithms: Section 5Estimating the cost of generic quantum pre-image attacks on SHA-2 and SHA-3Downtime Required for Bitcoin Quantum-Safety Related Episodes Quantum Engineering with Jelena VučkovićQuantum Punks with Alex and NicolaQuantum Cryptography Part 2 with Or Sattath ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack in collaboration with Bain Capital Crypto. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here. Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH...

Kevin Lacker on AI-Assisted Theorem Proving and Acorn

Oct 22, 2025 55 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Guillermo Angeris talk with Kevin Lacker, creator of Acorn, a theorem prover utilising AI. They explore what theorem provers are, their history, and how they're used today. Kevin shares how Acorn brings in AI to simplify the proving process, letting users naturally write mathematical statements while the system checks the correctness of those statements. It's built to feel more like natural math, unlike tools like Lean that demand every step. They also explore the benefits of including AI in math, and also the challenges that come with it such as hallucinations, and how Acorn could speed up research in areas like zero-knowledge proofs. The dicussion also covers the history of mathematics, community building around Acorn and its open math library, acornlib. Related Links Guillermo’s Blog Post:Acorn and the future of (AI?) theorem provingAcorn Theorem ProverAcorn Standard Library:acornlibLean Theorem Prover ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here. Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Payy and Payy Card, the Undoxable Credit Card

Oct 15, 2025 1 hr 7 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra catch up with Sid Gandhi and Calum Moore from Payy to discuss the Payy private payment system and the newly released Payy credit card. They explore their focus on building a user-friendly privacy focused product, how ZK tooling advancement makes this possible, and a walkthrough into how it works with the Visa remittance system. Sid and Cal explain Payy's design as a ZK Validium rollup on Polygon, using client-side proofs and a Merkle tree to ensure privacy and compliance. The discussion also delves into the history and past challenges of self-sovereign payments; how self-sovereign money goals were overshadowed by speculation, why many new stablecoin projects feel like a step back to traditional finance, and how privacy-focused payments are making a comeback in 2025. Related Links Payy NetworkPayy WalletPayy CardZcashThe whitepaper for Payy Network The payy card launch on XPayy runner, anew way to earn payy points ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

ZKPassport, Obsidion & the Emerging Noir Ecosystem

Oct 8, 2025 52 min

In this episode, Anna Rose chats with Théo Madzou and Michael Elliot from ZKPassport and Obsidion about their ZK-based identity solution. Théo shares his start in ZK through ZK Hack hackathons using Noir, while Mike shares his path from Bitcoin and MakerDAO to working on zkID systems. They explain how they teamed up to build ZKPassport, a non-profit public-good ZK identity solution project,and how they plan to bring it into Obsidion, a for-profit, privacy-focused fintech-style application that they’re working on. They discuss Noir's evolution and their contribution to this accending zkDSL, how subcircuits and subproofs enable mobile proving, how ZKPassport differs from projects like Self and Rarimo, how they integrated ZKPassport in the wild with DevCon and Aztec, and their plans for better UX and user-friendly apps. Related Links ZKPassportObsidionZKPassport: Where are we now?ZK HACKNoirAztec Related Episodes Episode 358: Building ZK Registries Onchain with RarimoEpisode 377:Evolving ZK Identity from Iden3 to Privado & BillionsEpisode 366: Bringing ID Onchain with Self ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Verifiable Key Management and TEEs with Turnkey

Oct 1, 2025 1 hr 4 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Kobi Gurkan chat with Arnaud Brousseau and Jack Kearney from Turnkey about verifiable key management using trusted execution environments (TEEs). They share how their past work on custody and validators inspired them to build more sophisticated key management tools and some of the qualities TEEs enabled. The discussion covers a range of challenges and techniques: the role of remote attestation and reproducible builds in ensuring trust, strategies to prevent downgrade attacks, and the use of authorisation and policy layers to reduce misuse of keys while still enabling automation. Related Links Turnkey: a Verifiable Key Management SolutionTurnkey's ArchitectureStageXReflections on Trusting Trust By Ken ThompsonHow to Prove False Statements: Practical Attacks on Fiat-ShamirTurnkey Blog: Remote attestations are useless without reproducible buildsEpisode 339: TEEs with Andrew Miller ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Zerocoin to zk-creds: Modern ZK History with Ian Miers

Sep 24, 2025 1 hr 18 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt catch up with Ian Miers from the University of Maryland, starting with his work on seminal ZK blockchain research, Zerocoin and Zerocash and the creation of the first zk-focused blockchain project Zcash. They then explore the history of trusted setups, including the trusted setup bug discovery in Zcash, and subsequent improvements like Powers of Tau. Ian also discussed his work on ZEXE, a system that has inspired the formation of Aleo, and his more recent works: zk-creds for building flexible anonymous credentials from existing identity signals like passports, and zk-promises for supporting anonymous reputation, moderation, and callbacks in decentralized systems. They also touch on broader topics like post-quantum security considerations, sybil resistance, and the need for programmable privacy tools. Related Links Ian Miers: Academic profile and publicationsZerocoin: Anonymous Distributed E-Cash from BitcoinPinocchio: Nearly Practical Verifiable ComputationZerocash: Decentralized Anonymous Payments from BitcoinZcash: Privacy-preserving cryptocurrency based on Zerocash protocolZexe: Enabling Decentralized Private ComputationPowers of Tau Ceremony: Zcash Foundation's multi-party computation for secure zk-SNARK parametersPowers-of-Tau to the People: Decentralizing Setup Ceremonieszk-creds: Flexible Anonymous Credentials from zkSNARKs and Existing Identity Infrastructurezk-promises: Anonymous Moderation, Reputation, and Blocking from Anonymous Credentials with CallbacksDecentralized Anonymous CredentialsSonic: Zero-Knowledge SNARKs from Linear-Size Universal and Updatable Structured Reference StringsQuadratic Span Programs and Succinct NIZKs without PCPs DECO: Liberating Web Data Using Decentralized Oracles for TLSSNARKs for C : Verifying Program Executions Succinctly and in Zero KnowledgeScalable Zero Knowledge via Cycles of Elliptic Curves(BCTV14)Sean Bowe on SNARKs, Trusted Setups & Elliptic Curve Cryptography ...

Evolving ZK Identity from Iden3 to Privado & Billions

Sep 17, 2025 1 hr 4 min

In this episode, Anna Rose chats with David Z and Oleksandr (Sasha) from Privado ID and Billions Network about the evolution of ZK-based identity systems, tracing their roots back to iden3 in 2018, one of the earliest projects to pioneer ZK for on-chain identity. They discuss their origin as the iden3, their creation of the influential Circom DSL, the move into Polygon ID, the spin-out as Privado ID with a focus on B2B privacy tools and verifiable credentials, and the recent launch of Billions Network, which aims to build a scalable network of humans and AI agents with mobile-first verification and progressive proofs. They compare their broad, composable approach to projects like Self, Rarimo, and ZK Email, while highlighting future plans for reputation layers, on-chain economies, and AI agent identities to enable accountable interactions in a decentralised world. Related Links Privado ID introduces Billions: The First Global Human & AI NetworkBillions Launches Mobile App for Digital Identity Verification in the Age of AIDEEPTRUST: VERIFIABLE IDENTITIES AND REPUTATION FOR AI AGENTSIden3 Protocol Specifications (Version 0)W3C: Verifiable Credentials OverviewPoseidon: ZK-Friendly HashingEuropean Digital IdentityZK HACK - Introducing Circom 2.0 - Iden3Iden3: Sparse Merkle TreesBillions App Transforms ID Verification with Privacy-First Liveness Checks ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Miden & the Edge Blockchain with Bobbin & Gaylord

Sep 10, 2025 1 hr 17 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Guillermo Angeris speak with Bobbin Threadbare and Gaylord Warner from Miden to explore their zkVM and edge blockchain architecture. The group also reminisces on how they've each been a part of the ZK Whiteboard Sessions over the years. Bobbin shares Miden's earliest beginnings from Winterfell at Facebook through its development within Polygon to the recent spin-out as an independent project. The team discusses their custom ISA designed for blockchain use cases, and the multi-stage compilation pipeline that supports it. The conversation also covers Miden's pragmatic approach to privacy implementation, their plans for gradual decentralization starting with a centralized L2, and how they incentivize users to keep state off-chain through multidimensional fee structures. Related Links ZK WhiteboardEpisode 373: Ethproofs, zkVM Benchmarks & the Unstoppable Rise of ZK with Justin DrakeEpisode 369: Ligero for Memory-Efficient ZK with MuthuEpisode 367: Local-First with grjte and Goblin OatsEpisode 365: ZK in Sui & zkAt with Kostas KryptosEpisode 210: The Road to STARKs and Miden with Bobbin ThreadbareThe Miden Compiler v0.4.0 – A Major MilestoneZK Whiteboard Sessions - Module Four: SNARKs vs STARKs with Bobbin ThreadbareZK13: Lifted FRI: A uniform multi-domain polynomial commitment schemeZK Study Club - STARKs overview - Session 4 ZK Hack BerlinWinterfellFruity FriendsGaylord's X post that inspired the interview! ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack in collaboration with Bain Capital Crypto. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address...

Indistinguishability Obfuscation (iO) with Huijia (Rachel) Lin

Sep 3, 2025 1 hr 25 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra chat with Huijia (Rachel) Lin from the University of Washington to explore indistinguishability obfuscation (iO), often described as the 'holy grail of cryptography'. iO is a powerful primitive that, if fully realised, could have profound implications for privacy tech as a whole. Rachel helps break down the concept for listeners who may already be familiar with ZK, FHE and TEEs, clarifying how iO differs but also some of the similarities in the assumptions upon which it is based. Rachel also explains how it differs from similar concepts: garbled circuits and functional encryption. The discussion covers the evolution of iO research in her work over the last decade, how the cryptographic assumptions have hardened since that time, and what iO can offer in terms of precise, controlled information revelation. Related Links Indistinguishability obfuscation from well-founded assumptionsIndistinguishability Obfuscation from DDH-like Assumptions on Constant-Degree Graded EncodingsOn Lattices, Learning with Errors, Random Linear Codes, and CryptographyHow to Use Indistinguishability Obfuscation: Deniable Encryption, and MoreFunctional Encryption for Quadratic Functions, and Applications to Predicate EncryptionGarbled circuit ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack in collaboration with Bain Capital Crypto. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Lighter, Perp DEXs and Custom ZK Circuits

Aug 27, 2025 1 hr 13 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra chat with Vlad and Murat from Lighter, a ZK-powered perp DEX on Ethereum. They explore how perps, short for perpetuals/perpetual trades, emerged as a crypto invention, how the exchanges offering perps evolved over the years, and the tradeoff space between transparency and privacy, specifically for market makers. Vladimir discusses the advantage of building a perp DEX with a team consisting of both quants and engineers. They also cover how ZK has come to be used in some projects but not others, what opportunities verifiability can unlock, and why their project favored building custom ZK circuits over using existing zkVMs. Related Links ZK Whiteboard Sessions zkLighter White PaperA primer on perpetualsHyperliquid docsdYdXGMXLighter Discord Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

Ethproofs, zkVM Benchmarks & the Unstoppable Rise of ZK with Justin Drake

Aug 20, 2025 1 hr 23 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Nico Mohnblatt catch up with Justin Drake from the Ethereum Foundation to explore Ethproofs, asking what exactly is Ethproofs: is it a meme, a platform, a benchmarking effort and/or an emerging community? Justin shares the emergence of the project within the EF, the influences that shaped it and what Ethproofs comprises of today. He also shares the goals of the project and how this initiative supports the snarkification of the EVM by providing standardized benchmarks for the growing ecosystem of zkVMs. Their discussion covers the evolution from monolithic zkEVM approaches to RISC-V-based systems, and movement towards mandatory proofs and eventual zkVM enshrinement. Related Links Episode 369: Ligero for Memory-Efficient ZK with MuthuEpisode 321: STIR with Gal Arnon & Giacomo FenziEpisode 258: Ultrasound Money & VRFs with Justin DrakeEpisode 120: ZKPs in Ethereum with Vitalik Buterin & Justin DrakeEpisode 74: Blockchain 101: Randomness and Random Beacons with Justin DrakeZK11: SNARK proving ASICs - Justin DrakeL2BEATPicus Announcing Protocol Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support the show:** * Patreon * ETH - Donation address * BTC - Donation address * SOL - Donation address * ZEC - Donation address Read transcript

zkPDF and zkID with Vikas Rushi and Ying Tong

Aug 13, 2025 1 hr 9 min

In this episode, Anna Rose and Kobi Gurkan chat with Vikas Rushi from PSE, and Ying Tong to explore two topics at the intersection of ZK and the real-world data: zkPDF and zkID. First they dive into zkPDF, a set of tools for proving facts on digitally signed PDFs. Vikas talks about the challenges of parsing data inside zkVMs—working with decades-old specifications that use many different encodings, and tackling practical use-cases like bank statements and ID verification. They also explain how issuers, such as India’s DigiLocker, can generate proofs in a way that protects individual privacy. Next they cover zkID and the EF’s work on building a system that would meet the EU’s Digital Identity Framework requirements ahead of its 2026 rollout. Ying Tong explains how the EF’s work on zkID differs from existing zk-based identity projects, particularly through its device-binding requirements, the cryptographic community’s feedback to the EU Commission, the trade-offs between proof systems, PSE’s work on standards and more. They wrap up with a chat about the challenges of revocation in both systems, and what’s next for the projects. Related Links Episode 367: Local-First with grjte and Goblin OatsEpisode 366: Bringing ID Onchain with SelfEpisode 363: Bringing ZK to Google Wallet with Abhi and MatteoEpisode 362: zkTLS with Maddy from ReclaimEpisode 358: Building ZK Registries Onchain with RarimoEpisode 353: Making ZK More Human with ZK EmailEpisode 330: Frameworks for Programmable Privacy with Ying Tong and Bryan GillespieCommunity Privacy ResidencyAnon AadhaarDigiLockerzkID Githubzk-promises: Anonymous Moderation, Reputation, and Blocking from Anonymous Credentials with Callbacks Check out the latest jobs in ZK at the ZK Podcast Jobs Board **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube **Support th...

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Created by: Zero Knowledge Podcast
Status: Active
Latest episode: Nov 11, 2026
Episodes: 429
Release period: Weekly
Avg. episode length: 1 hr 2 min
Explicit: No
Language: English

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