[dlubarov]

No affiliation with Aztec, but it's absurd to lump them in the same bucket as Shiba.

> pump and dump crypto currencies

Aztec has been in development since 2017, and has solved some real problems in cryptography in order to accomplish their goals. Besides, it doesn't have its own token, so there's nothing to pump.

> Solves nothing, serves no purpose

It allows Ethereum users to transact in private.

> but increases the demand for Ethereum transactions which ultimately drives the cost of Ethereum

It does the opposite, since it's a rollup - the transactions happen off-chain.