Episodes

  • The Quantum Question Panel – Live from zkSummit14

    The Quantum Question Panel – Live from zkSummit14
    May 27 2026
    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 Video
    • Episode 391 -lean Ethereum Part 1: Introduction with Justin Drake
    • Episode 400 - Quantum Advances, Hybrid Signatures and SNARKs to the Rescue with Dan Boneh
    • Quantum Algorithm Zoo
    • POSEIDON: A New Hash Function for Zero-Knowledge Proof Systems
    • Poseidon2: A Faster Version of the Poseidon Hash Function
    • Securing Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies against Quantum Vulnerabilities: Resource Estimates and Mitigations
    • Oratomic (Neutral Atoms Startup)
    • Neo and SuperNeo: Post-quantum folding with pay-per-bit costs over small fields
    • lean Ethereum

    Check out all 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
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    59 mins
  • From Access Control to Encrypted Execution with Auryn Macmillan

    From Access Control to Encrypted Execution with Auryn Macmillan
    May 20 2026
    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 Macmillan
    • theinterfold.com
    • gnosisguild.org
    • How 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
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    53 mins
  • Quantum Advances, Hybrid Signatures and SNARKs to the Rescue with Dan Boneh

    Quantum Advances, Hybrid Signatures and SNARKs to the Rescue with Dan Boneh
    May 6 2026
    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 Boneh
    • Episode 256 with Dan Boneh
    • Episode 345 with Dan Boneh
    • Episode 390 lean Ethereum Miniseries Kick-off with Anna & Nico
    • Episode 359 Lattice-based ZK Systems with Vadim Lyubashevsky
    • Episode 364 AI and ZK Auditing with David Wong
    • Episode 382 Kevin Lacker on AI-Assisted Theorem Proving and Acorn
    • Securing Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies against Quantum Vulnerabilities: Resource Estimates and Mitigations
    • Optimal Proximity Gaps for Subspace-Design Codes and (Random) Reed-Solomon Codes
    • Oratomic (Neutral Atoms Startup)
    • Proximity Prize
    • The 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
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    1 hr and 25 mins
  • Is ZK dead? Or has it just begun? with the ZK Pod co-hosts

    Is ZK dead? Or has it just begun? with the ZK Pod co-hosts
    Apr 22 2026
    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 Guillermo
    • Building Private AMMs with Guillermo Angeris
    • 2021 < 2022 with Co-hosts & Friends
    • Statistical modeling with PoS systems with Tarun Chitra
    • Indistinguishability Obfuscation (iO) with Huijia (Rachel) Lin
    • Error Correcting Codes & Information Theory with Ron Rothblum
    • How ZK inspired AI Watermarking with Miranda Christ
    • Ethproofs, zkVM Benchmarks & the Unstoppable Rise of ZK with Justin Drake
    • Decentralized Storage Part 1: Looking back
    • Decentralized Storage Part 2: Solutions
    • Verifiable 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
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Verifiable Databases with Shyam & Emanuele from Provably

    Verifiable Databases with Shyam & Emanuele from Provably
    Apr 8 2026
    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 Campanelli
    • Linear-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
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    56 mins
  • Dev Ojha on the Osmosis Story and his Return to Privacy

    Dev Ojha on the Osmosis Story and his Return to Privacy
    Apr 1 2026
    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
    • Osmosis
    • Zcash
    • Namada
    • Fractal: Post-Quantum and Transparent Recursive Proofs from Holography
    • Tachyon: Scaling Zcash with Oblivious Synchronization
    • IBC Protocol
    • Private 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
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • lean Ethereum Part 6: Formal Verification with Alex Hicks

    lean Ethereum Part 6: Formal Verification with Alex Hicks
    Mar 25 2026
    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 Drake
    • lean Ethereum Part 2: PQ Signatures and Poseidon with Dmitry and Benedikt
    • lean Ethereum Part 3: Security of PQ SNARKs and an update about the Proximity Prize
    • lean Ethereum Part 4: leanVM, a Custom VM for Signature Aggregation
    • lean Ethereum Part 5: Devnets & Upgrade Coordination with Will and Raúl
    • lean Ethereum
    • Lean Consensus R&D Progress
    • Lean Proof Assistant
    • Isabelle Proof Assistant
    • Ethereum 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
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    58 mins
  • lean Ethereum Part 5: Devnets & Upgrade Coordination with Will and Raúl

    lean Ethereum Part 5: Devnets & Upgrade Coordination with Will and Raúl
    Mar 18 2026
    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 Drake
    • lean Ethereum Part 2: PQ Signatures and Poseidon with Dmitry and Benedikt
    • lean Ethereum Part 3: Security of PQ SNARKs and an update about the Proximity Prize
    • lean Ethereum Part 4: leanVM, a Custom VM for Signature Aggregation
    • lean Ethereum
    • Lean Consensus R&D Progress
    • Ethereum 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
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    39 mins