Is crypto still cypherpunk? With Miden co-founder Azeem Khan
Quick Take
- Miden co-founder Azeem Khan argues that crypto privacy is and should be essential infrastructure, but the road to regulatory acceptance may take some time and compromises.
Episode 59 of The Crypto Beat was recorded with Tim Copeland, Kelvin Sparks, and Miden Co-Founder Azeem Khan.
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In episode 59 of The Crypto Beat, Miden Co-Founder Azeem Khan discusses how most crypto users don't realize how exposed their onchain activity really is, drawing parallels to the 1990s encryption wars. He makes the case for "compliant privacy" as the path to institutional adoption, explains why the cypherpunk ethos needs a pragmatic update, and shares what he's learned from pitching privacy tech to JP Morgan, the SEC, and central banks from Abu Dhabi to Uzbekistan.
OUTLINE
00:00 - Introduction
02:30 - The Illusion of Anonymity
06:25 - The Privacy Rorschach Test
09:01 - Scaling Privacy UX
11:01 - The Regulatory Bottleneck
15:45 - Cypherpunk Ethos in 2026
18:44 - Institutional Adoption Playbook
24:04 - Where Privacy Captures Value
27:49 - The Privacy Token Pump
32:41 - Three Lessons on Privacy
Guest links:
Azeem Khan - x.com/azeemk
Miden - x.com/0xMiden
Tim Copeland - x.com/timccopeland
Kelvin Sparks - x.com/imyoungsparks
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