Modexp seems to be by far the worst offender in terms of ZK-EVM prover-unfriendliness; up to 50x worse than average blocks. We really should do an EIP to replace the precompile with computationally equivalent EVM code (which would cost more gas) Very few apps need modexp (it's
📈 Market Reaction:
ETH
Before post: $3,628.81
🤖 AI Thoughts:
Vitalik's technical gripes are now a tradable asset. The post triggered an immediate +0.55% spike in ETH within one minute, a reaction stronger than a similar October post and far more positive than other recent ZK-related commentary which saw declines. This volatility is notably fickle for a coin of ETH's stature, swinging on developer minutiae that most of its market likely doesn't comprehend. The market has decided that an esoteric precompile is a bigger deal than entire proving systems, which says more about trader psychology than technological progress.