Alan Szepieniec is a cryptographer & systems architect who specializes in Zero Knowledge proofs. He created Neptune Cash, a L1 network which combines ZK STARKs with Proof of Work in order to have a money system that's private, scalable & quantum resistant.

Time stamps:

00:00:00 Intro & Sponsors

00:02:30 Welcome Alan Szepieniec

00:03:02 Alan's Background in Cryptography & Libertarianism

00:05:15 Path to Bitcoin & Privacy Disillusionment

00:07:30 Privacy as Essential for Fungible Money

00:09:44 Network-Level Privacy & Censorship Resistance

00:12:15 Debate on Privacy Improvements in Bitcoin

00:14:01 Scalability Trade-offs with Recursive ZK Proofs

00:17:26 Lightning Network Privacy Limitations

00:22:39 Lightning's Potential for High-Frequency Trading

00:26:41 Custodial Risks & ZK-Proven Custodians

00:31:21 Sponsor: Unstoppable Wallet

00:33:17 Sponsor: Sideshift.ai

00:34:20 ZK-STARKs Explained & vs ZK-SNARKs

00:36:12 Quantum Resistance & Transparent Setup

00:41:56 Drivechains (BIP 300) & STARK Integration Potential

00:44:58 OP_CAT vs Custom Opcodes for STARK Verification

00:49:46 Why Coinjoins Aren't Sufficient for Privacy

00:56:27 Lightning's Unique Privacy Properties

00:56:50 Halo 2 & Removing Trusted Setup from SNARKs

00:58:44 Zcash L2 on Starknet

01:00:26 Why ZK-STARKs on Layer 1

01:03:20 Neptune Cash: Privacy, Scalability & Smart Contracts

01:07:33 Custom STARK Engine & Assembler Language

01:09:09 Proof-of-Work Design & GPU Mining

01:14:08 Inflation Bug & Network Relaunch

01:17:13 Decentralization Roadmap

01:19:00 Current Drawbacks: UX & Proof Generation

01:22:39 Node & Transaction Hardware Requirements

01:29:36 Quantum Computing Threats Discussion

01:33:01 Satoshi's Coins & Quantum Risks

01:36:38 Store of Value vs Medium of Exchange

01:43:13 Regulations Hurting Adoption

01:45:40 Monero Talk & Signatureless Transactions

01:47:58 Monero vs Bitcoin Communities

01:54:06 Adding Lightning Network to Neptune Cash

01:55:06 Lightning Network & Atomic Swaps Potential

01:56:48 Removing Centralized Exchanges via Bridges

01:57:17 Neptune Cash Lightning Network Plans

01:58:36 Prioritizing Faster Proving & Smart Contracts

02:00:36 Rapid Fire: Max Supply (40.5M after burn)

02:01:24 Block Time (9.8 minutes) & Difficulty Adjustment

02:01:56 Block Size (8 MB limit)

02:02:21 Elevator Pitch for Neptune Cash

02:03:17 Sidechain/Drivechain/Rollup on Bitcoin?

02:04:33 Privacy Comparison: Neptune vs Zcash vs Monero

02:05:38 Mutator Set vs Nullifier Set Explained

02:06:48 Privacy Ratings (Zcash 8/10, Monero 9/10 future, Neptune 6-7/10 + scalability bonus)

02:09:18 Scaling Ratings (Bitcoin 9/10, Neptune 8/10 future, Zcash/Monero 6/10)

02:12:24 Price Movement During Interview & Shitcoin Debate

02:14:54 Premine vs Fair Launch Discussion

02:17:35 Ethereum Premine Success & Grin vs Beam

02:19:10 Zcash Dev Fund Model

02:22:17 Building Circular Economies & Network Effects

02:27:04 Could Bitcoin Become Like Neptune Cash?

02:30:44 Connection Issues & Wrap-Up

02:33:05 Legacy UTXOs & Quantum Vulnerability

02:35:09 Where to Follow Neptune Cash & Alan

02:37:09 Is Satoshi an AI/Time Traveler?

02:38:46 Final Thanks & Goodbye