As we approach Zcash’s second birthday, it’s fitting to look back at the origins of this little experiment. And who better to do it than one of the currency’s founding scientists, Eran Tromer, Professor of Computer Science at Tel Aviv University and research scientist at Columbia University.



In this first clip, Tromer discusses how zero-knowledge proofs evolved from academic research into the robust cryptographic tools that today serve as the backbone of the Zcash protocol.

“… In October 2016, we actually shipped the code. That was, I’m proud and happy to say, the most boring launch of my life, because it actually worked. It keeps working to this day, and here we are finding ways to make people use it.” — E. Tromer

In our bonus video for this week, Tromer defines the essence of cryptography and how that construct informs his perspective about security and trust relevant to zk-SNARKS.



“… no single party can control and compromise the integrity or privacy of Zcash. And as a declaration of values, I think that’s a powerful one.” — E. Tromer

A library of prior videos in the Perspectives series is available on the Zcash YouTube channel, including these features:

On Privacy:

Eran Tromer Zcash Founding Scientist, Associate Professor at Tel Aviv University and Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University on Privacy

Zooko Wilcox Zcash Founder and CEO on the History of Privacy

Linda Xie Co-Founder of Scalar Capital on Bitcoin Traceability

Zcash CTO Nathan Wilcox on Privacy

Ethereum Founder and Chief Scientist Vitalik Buterin on Privacy

Coin Center Director of Research and Zcash Foundation Board Member Peter Van Valkenburgh on Privacy

Industry Thought Leader Jill Carlson on Privacy



On Governance:

Nathan Wilcox on Zcash Governance

Jonathan Zeppettini (JZ) on Decred Governance

Vitalik Buterin Discusses On-chain Governance



On Regulation:

Perspectives on Driving Adoption and Emerging Markets from Carlson

Perspectives on Regulation from Van Valkenburgh

Sean Bowe on Privacy and Regulation

Jack Gavigan on Regulation and Privacy-Protecting Technology



On Sapling:

Zcash Engineer Sean Bowe

Zcash Engineer Ariel Gabizon

