Scaling Trust: Alex Gluchowski on Matter Labs, ZKsync, & the Future of Ethereum
December 11, 2025
Alex Gluchowski, co-founder and CEO of Matter Labs, joins host Dylan Grabowski for a deep dive into ZKsync, the rise of zero-knowledge technology, and the rapid evolution of Ethereum’s scaling landscape. He shares how personal experiences shaped his mission of economic freedom, why privacy must evolve for global adoption, and how the Elastic Network aims to unite consumer, enterprise, and institutional use cases under one ZK-powered ecosystem.
In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, Dylan Grabowski speaks with Alex Gluchowski, co-founder and CEO of Matter Labs, the engineering team behind ZKsync and the ZK Stack powering Ethereum’s zero-knowledge ecosystem.
Gluchowski shares his journey from growing up in post-Soviet Ukraine—where financial instability and institutional distrust were the norm—to discovering Bitcoin as a tool for freedom. He explains why zero-knowledge proofs felt “too good to be true,” how early cryptographic constraints slowed adoption, and how recent breakthroughs now make ZK the most scalable and secure path forward for blockchains.
The conversation explores the growth of ZKsync, the introduction of the Elastic Network, and why Gluchowski believes all rollups will eventually migrate to ZK. He discusses the challenges of onboarding institutions, the rising demand for stablecoins and compliant privacy, and the pivotal role ZK infrastructure will play as real-world assets, enterprises, and global finance move on-chain.
Gluchowski also highlights the importance of user incentives, developer experience, and the need for seamless interoperability across chains—sharing how ZK recursion, rapid proving, and institutional-grade privacy are shaping Ethereum’s long-term trajectory.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
- How Alex’s early experiences with hyperinflation and institutional distrust shaped his mission for ZKsync
- Why ZK technology took years longer than expected to become usable
- Why scalable proofs, recursion, and fast settlement can unlock a global blockchain economy
- The difference between privacy for individuals vs institutions — and why both matter
- How the Elastic Network connects ZK rollups into one cohesive ecosystem
- Why Alex believes optimistic rollups will phase out over time
- How stablecoins, RWAs, and institutional blockchains are driving the next major wave of on-chain adoption
Previous guests include: Paul Neuner, Founder and CEO of Telcoin; Aryan Sheikhalian, Head of Research at CMT Digital; David Hoffman, co-Founder and host of Bankless; Fabian Gompf, Chief Executive Officer of the Web3 Foundation; Kurt Hemecker, CEO of the Mina Foundation; Sunny Lu, co-Founder and CEO of VeChain Foundation; Joe Doll, general counsel at Magic Eden; Philippe Schommers, the Head of Infrastructure at Gnosis; and many others.
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:
- Are Stablecoins the Future of Money? Telcoin’s eUSD and becoming a Digital Bank with Paul Neuner
- The Darwin Cycles of Crypto: What Survives and Why with Aryan Sheikhalian of CMT Digital
- Media, Money, and Misunderstandings: Bankless Sets the Record Straight with David Hoffman
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