How Aztec Network Could Make Ethereum Privacy's Biggest Winner

Host John Gillen speaks with Aztec Labs co-founder and CEO Joe Andrews about zk.money, a private, non-custodial payments product built on the Aztec network. Andrews explains how zero-knowledge proofs let Ethereum nodes verify transactions without revealing balances, histories, or other sensitive information.

The discussion covers why Aztec chose to build a programmable layer 2 on Ethereum, how it differs from Zcash, and why privacy becomes more valuable when paired with economic activity. Andrews also outlines potential applications for institutions and AI agents, including conditional payments, private identity checks, and cryptographic limits on what automated systems can spend.

Andrews details the Aztec token’s role in staking, transaction fees, and network decentralization, while noting that fee abstraction can hide that complexity from users. He argues that the technical foundations for institutional adoption are largely in place, though regulatory and compliance clarity remain important hurdles.