Why does ZK feel bolted on in so many protocols? Most projects treat it as an afterthought—layering proofs onto systems built without cryptography in mind from day one.

But look at the Miden protocol: ZK isn't grafted on. It's baked into everything. The VM, the execution layer, how state transitions work—all architected from the ground up with proof generation as a first-class citizen, not an afterthought.

That's the difference between retrofitting zero-knowledge and building it from the foundation up.