Citizen Web3 Podcast

A Fairer World, Trust and Breakthrough Technology with Zac Williamson

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This episode of the #citizenweb3 podcast features Zac Williamson from Aztec

Zac Williamson, co‑inventor of the PLONK zero‑knowledge proof system, is a former Oxford particle physicist who calls himself a “physics refugee.” He leads the development of privacy‑focused blockchain tools to make money a form of autonomy and agency, aiming for fairer systems as breakthrough technologies reshape trust and justice.

Aztec Labs is a Layer‑2 network on Ethereum that uses zero‑knowledge proofs to enable private, scalable smart contracts. Its goal is to give users more autonomy and fairness in digital finance through privacy‑preserving technology.

We spoke to Zac Williamson about Aztec and:
  • Physics refugees
  • Breakthrough technology, it becomes a gold rush. And you get scammers.
  • Trust infrastructure technology
  • I want things to be more fair
  • Software you can run only once
  • Quantum computers
  • Play to your strengths
  • Find people to cover for your weaknesses
  • The arc of history always tends towards justice
  • Money is autonomy, it's agency

    • Timestamps

    00:00 – 01:17 : Intro

    01:17 -- 06:11 : Physics to Web3
    06:11 -- 15:20 : Explaining the values of Web3
    15:20 -- 17:05 : P2P
    17:05 -- 24:24 : What it looks like in five years
    24:24 -- 28:40 : Breaking the system
    28:40 -- 34:00 : Cryptography
    34:00 -- 41:15 : ADHD
    41:15 -- 46:30 : Semantics and privacy
    46:30 -- 53:19 : Fear
    53:19 -- 57:02 : Filling the gaps
    57:02 -- 58:30 : The next generation
    58:30 -- 01:03:00 : Increasing decentralization
    01:03:00 – 01:05:15 : Data centres
    01:05:15 – 01:16:20 : The Blitz

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      • Special Guest: Zac Williamson.

      Links:

      • AWS
      • Bitcoin
      • City of London
      • Dune Analytics and Boxer
      • Ethereum
      • Hetzner
      • Jens Groth
      • London
      • Louis de Broglie
      • Monero
      • Monero and Francisco Cabanas
      • Planck relation
      • Richard Feynman
      • Shakespeare
      • The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal M. Mitchell Waldrop
      • The Lord of the Rings
      • Vitalik Buterin
      • William Tyndale
      • Zcash
      ...more
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      Citizen Web3 PodcastBy serejandmyself
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