Mikerah Quintyne-Collins, a technical founder known for her work on privacy-preserving technologies, shares her journey in the crypto space. She discusses her early experiences at ChainSafe and the founding of HashCloak. The conversation dives into the challenges and advancements in Multi-Party Computation (MPC) and critiques the narratives surrounding privacy technologies. Mikerah also highlights the importance of memes in her tweet game and advocates for a collaborative approach among various cryptographic solutions in the evolving world of decentralized finance.
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Quick takeaways
Mikerah's journey in crypto began at a university event with Vitalik Buterin, leading her to significant roles at ChainSafe and HashCloak.
Her vibrant Twitter presence as 'Bad Crypto Bitch' merges technical insights with humor, reflecting her engagement with the crypto community.
The podcast discusses the complementary nature of MPC and ZK technologies in enhancing privacy, emphasizing a collaborative approach for better applications.
Deep dives
Journey into Blockchain and Zero Knowledge
Makira's entry into the blockchain space began at a university event featuring Vitalik Buterin, where her interest was piqued by his talk on crypto economics. This led her to become a research assistant, and subsequently, she joined ChainSafe, where she contributed to the Ethereum 2 client called Lodestar. Her work at ChainSafe allowed her to explore various aspects of Ethereum's development while gaining practical experience that would serve as a foundation for her future endeavors. Through her evolving journey, she transitioned towards privacy-preserving technologies and the establishment of her own consulting firm, HashCloak.
Makira's Contributions and Social Engagement
Known by her online persona 'Bad Crypto Bitch', Makira has made significant social media contributions that reflect her vibrant personality and insights into the crypto space. Her Twitter activity blends technical discourse with humor, garnering attention and establishing her connection with the community. Throughout the podcast, she shares the motivations behind her Twitter engagement, attributing it to evolving trends and her passion for sharing knowledge. This public persona goes hand in hand with her technical contributions, showcasing her as both a thought leader and an industry participant dedicated to engaging with integrity.
Exploration of Privacy-Preserving Technologies
The discussion delves into various privacy-preserving technologies, notably Multi-Party Computation (MPC) and how they differ from Zero Knowledge (ZK) systems. Makira emphasizes the unique strengths of MPC in handling private data through secrecy-sharing among parties without revealing sensitive information. She acknowledges that while ZK provides a framework for verifiability, MPC offers more flexibility in execution over private data, making it suitable for confidential computational tasks. This nuanced understanding of various frameworks allows her to draw meaningful comparisons and highlight the importance of selecting the right technology based on application needs.
Current Initiatives with HashCloak and Stoffel Labs
HashCloak serves as a consulting firm focused on cryptography and R&D, with a growing interest in projects related to ZK technology. Although it started as a solo endeavor for Makira, HashCloak has evolved into a platform that facilitates numerous engagements within the blockchain community. Stoffel Labs, on the other hand, is being spun out to further explore and produce tools for making MPC frameworks more accessible and effective for real-world applications. This initiative signifies a dedication to bridging theoretical research with practical implementation, aiming to enhance the landscape of confidentiality in blockchain technologies.
Examining the Collaborative Nature of Privacy Technologies
The podcast concludes with a discussion on the interplay between MPC, ZK, and other privacy technologies, emphasizing that these frameworks are not inherently mutually exclusive. Makira advocates for a collaborative approach, suggesting that different technologies can complement one another in addressing specific use cases. The evolution of privacy-enhancing systems encourages innovative applications, while challenges such as collusion in MPC require careful consideration of security models. By recognizing the potential and limitations of these technologies, the conversation encourages the crypto community to aspire towards innovative solutions that prioritize privacy.
This week Anna chats with Mikerah Quintyne-Collins from HashCloak and Stoffel Labs. They discuss how Mikerah got her start in the crypto space and then dive into the work she did at ChainSafe and eventually at HashCloak. They cover Mikerah’s work on privacy preserving tech like ZK, TEE and MPC and learn about what drives her tweet game and the wisdom she has picked up over the years as a technical founder, driven by curiosity… and memes.