Why privacy has lagged behind performance

with @alive_eth @rhackett

a16z crypto General Partner Ali Yahya explains why privacy — not performance — will determine the long-term winners in crypto, and how it creates powerful network effects. 

In conversation with a16z crypto show host Robert Hackett, Ali lays out how privacy creates lock-in and winner-take-most dynamics — without sacrificing decentralization. They also dive into the technologies making privacy possible today, from zero-knowledge proofs to trusted execution environments, and why financial use cases will drive mainstream adoption first.

They cover:

• Why blockspace is becoming a commodity
• Why users tolerate surveillance in social media—but not in finance
• How anonymity sets work and why secrets are hard to migrate
• The real trade-offs between privacy, composability, and decentralization
• The four privacy technologies shaping the next generation of blockchains

Highlights:

00:00 — Introduction
01:41 — Blockspace is becoming commoditized
03:11 — Privacy as lock-in: why secrets are harder to move than assets
06:01 — Do people actually care about privacy?
08:51 — Beyond finance: social, gaming, and private onchain apps
11:55 — Privacy zones, anonymity sets, and network effects
18:46 — Winner-take-most dynamics, explained
20:22 — What it means for crypto’s decentralization ethos
23:06 — Is privacy lock-in different from web2 lock-in?
28:31 — The privacy tech stack: ZK, MPC, TEEs, and FHE
32:13 — What this means for builders and investors
33:18 — Future considerations: Quantum computing and AI

Follow a16z crypto for more...

• X: https://x.com/a16zcrypto
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/a16zcrypto/posts/
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7pMZvsNXEnb0CYcPiDQywE
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/web3-with-a16z-crypto/id1622312549
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@a16zcrypto

📩 Subscribe for more industry reports, trend updates, news analysis, builder guides, and other resources: https://a16zcrypto.substack.com/subscribe/

🎙️ Like, subscribe, comment, share the show: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/podcast/

***

As always, none of the following should be taken as investment, business, legal, or tax advice. Please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information, including a link to a list of our investments.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.