
The Network State Podcast #36 - Arjun Khemani
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Feb 18, 2026 Arjun Khemani, author, podcaster, and privacy advocate who worked on Airchat and with Zcash. He discusses why on-chain privacy matters for sovereignty and creativity. He outlines the moral case for scaling Zcash and debates on-chain vs off-chain tradeoffs. He talks about making private payments practical and Gen Zcash efforts to make privacy engaging.
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COVID Radicalization And AirChat
- Arjun dropped out of school during COVID after reading books and blogging and worked at AirChat before joining Zcash.
- He traces his radicalization into crypto to self-education during lockdown and web projects like AirChat.
Personal Privacy Shift
- Arjun stopped doxxing his location after realizing surveillance risks and values on-chain privacy for freedom.
- He connects personal privacy practices to broader political and creative freedoms.
Prioritize On‑Chain Scaling
- Scale private blockchains on-chain rather than relying solely on off-chain hacks like Lightning or centralized custodians.
- Balaji urges Zcash to pursue on-chain scalability so privacy can be widely usable and resilient.








