The Gwart Show | Blockspace Media Zcash Resurgence, Privacy, and Quantum w/ Zcash cofounder Ian Miers
Nov 30, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Ian Miers, cofounder of Zcash and a cryptography expert, shares insights on vital topics including the importance of zero-knowledge proofs for privacy in cryptocurrencies. He explains the privacy pitfalls of Bitcoin's public ledger and why Zcash’s unique mechanisms enable transactions without compromising user data. The conversation also touches on the potential threats of quantum computing and explores future prospects for a resurgence of interest in privacy-focused cryptocurrencies.
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Why Bitcoin Rejected Early Privacy
- In 2013 Bitcoin devs rejected privacy proposals partly due to skepticism and regulatory concerns.
- By 2014–today the tech matured and is now battle-tested enough for real deployment.
Privacy vs Verifiability Tradeoffs
- Deep privacy reduces public verifiability of balances, but careful engineering and formal checks can mitigate risk.
- Ian argues privacy is essential if you want cryptocurrency to function as usable money.
Why Zcash Is Gaining Traction Now
- Zcash's recent resurgence reflects shipping usable wallets, swaps, and cultural shifts validating private money demand.
- Real-world asset tokenization will accelerate demand for on-chain privacy.