In this episode, Austin chats with Mert about why privacy is becoming essential for crypto and on-chain finance. They discuss how ZK-based privacy works via shielded pools, commitments, proofs, and nullifiers, contrasting it with Monero’s probabilistic obfuscation. Mert explains Zcash’s renewed adoption through improved usability, macro and regulatory shifts, and fairer historical distribution. He argues privacy layers fail when they lack tangible benefits, and outlines a new fully on-chain, composable, atomic privacy protocol for Solana built with Light Protocol’s compression approach, including permissionless and enterprise “zones” with configurable compliance features and reduced MEV via encrypted swaps. 

00:00 - Why Privacy Matters 

03:05 - Zcash And ZK Origins 

06:26 - How Shielded Pools Work 

09:56 - Why Zcash Broke Out 

15:52 - Why Privacy Layers Fail 

19:47 - Solana Privacy Protocol 

22:57 - Composability Breakthrough 

25:51 - Go-To-Market Plan 

30:50 - Compliance And Zones 

32:40 - Onchain Versus Off Chain 

34:58 - Zcash And Solana’s Future 

40:29 - Bitcoin Privacy And Quantum 

43:48 - Closing And Where To Find

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