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Changpeng Zhao

Former CEO, Binance

Search every verified Changpeng Zhao interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, has made several public appearances in recent months, discussing topics including Bitcoin's price trajectory, the role of cryptocurrency in an AI-driven economy, and his 2025 presidential pardon. Speaking at Bitcoin Asia 2026 in Hong Kong, Zhao predicted that Bitcoin could reach $1 million sooner than many expect and emphasized the need for broader utility, such as large-scale Bitcoin payments and adoption as a pension reserve. He also stated that he has held discussions with top-tier AI companies about issuing their own tokens, suggesting that AI agents may increasingly transact using stablecoins and cryptocurrencies. Zhao has also addressed his legal history, noting that he was the only person to serve prison time for a single violation of the Bank Secrecy Act and describing himself as an "easy target" due to his Chinese appearance during the Biden administration. He stated that he never met, called, or emailed President Trump, who pardoned him in 2025, and declined to characterize the pardon as politically motivated. In other appearances, Zhao advised against going all-in on Bitcoin, recommending dollar-cost averaging instead, and commented on the traditional education system, which he said produces "average" individuals in a hyper-competitive world. He also dismissed the idea that his tweet caused the collapse of FTX, arguing that a single tweet from a competitor cannot destroy a viable company.

Recent appearances

  • The Next Bull Run Will Make Crypto Holders Rich - CZ Binance Founder | E189

    October 08, 2026 · 📺 When Shift Happens

    Changpeng Zhao (CZ), founder of Binance, sits down with Kevin live on stage at Bitcoin Asia 2026 in Hong Kong and explains why right now is the best point in history to build wealth in crypto. He breaks down why $1 million Bitcoin is coming faster than anyone expects, why Bitcoin will overtake gold in the next bull run, the exact crypto allocation he tells governments to hold, and what the biggest AI companies are telling him about launching their own tokens. Where the next decade of crypto is going, from the man who built the biggest exchange in the world. THE SHIFT NEWSLETTER 💡Go beyond t…

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  • CZ Binance Founder: Why The US Jailed Crypto's Wealthiest Founder

    September 30, 2026 · 📺 When Shift Happens

    In this clip you'll hear how the founder of the world's biggest crypto exchange went from a US prison cell to a presidential pardon. CZ walks through the whole process: why he feared he'd be kept inside forever, what he was actually charged with and why he says nobody in US history had gone to prison for it, how the petition was filed and how long the wait took, and the fact that he's never met, called, or emailed Trump once. He also answers whether the pardon was political and why he thinks that, by today's rules, nothing he did would even be a problem. Then he gives Elon one-line advice…

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  • CZ Binance Founder: Nobody Realizes How Big The Next 10 Years Of Crypto Will Be | E187

    September 25, 2026 · 📺 When Shift Happens

    Changpeng Zhao (CZ), founder of Binance, opens up on why he's always bullish on Twitter, how a single tweet lined up with Bitcoin's 20% pump right before Trump's crypto speech, and why he believes crypto is still nowhere near saturated with less than 1% global penetration. He also gets candid about growing up a second-generation immigrant in Canada, surviving the FTX collapse and a Binance hack, and his contrarian take on why the traditional education system is broken. THE SHIFT NEWSLETTER 💡Go beyond the mic - subscribe to The Shift, my new weekly newsletter where I share the uncut stories,…

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  • Thinking of Going All-In on BTC? Binance Founder CZ’s Answer (and Why DCA) | Bali Clubhouse 2026 Q&A

    August 23, 2026 · 📺 Binance

    Should you go all-in on Bitcoin? In this Binance Clubhouse Bali 2026 Community Q&A, Binance and Giggle Academy Founder CZ (Changpeng Zhao) joins Jessica Walker virtually to answer one of the biggest questions from the community: whether he would still take the kind of risk he took in 2014, when he sold his apartment to buy Bitcoin. His answer is more measured today: understand the downside, don’t risk what you can’t afford to lose, and for most people, consider dollar-cost averaging instead of going all-in. From whether the four-year cycle still holds to why he recommends dollar-cost averagin…

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  • Crypto Billionaire Changpeng Zhao on Being Imprisoned

    August 19, 2026 · 📺 C-SPAN

    Crypto Billionaire Changpeng Zhao talks about being imprisoned for a crypto-related violation during the Biden Administration. He called the Biden administration anti-crypto and said he was an easy target because he is Chinese. He was interviewed by Anthony Scaramucci. https://www.c-span.org/ Download the FREE C-SPAN Now App. https://www.c-span.org/c-spanNow/ Discover the C-SPAN Video Library at https://www.c-span.org/quickguide/ Explore C-SPAN's Free Educational Resources at https://www.c-span.org/classroom/ C-SPAN: Created by Cable in 1979. Offered as a public service. Support C-SPAN…

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  • The Art of Building Binance: What CZ Would Do Differently Today, and the Future With AI

    July 15, 2026 · 📺 Binance

    How did Binance scale so fast—and what would CZ build if he started again today?* In this special Binance 9-year anniversary ...

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  • Changpeng Zhao (CZ) & Michael Santos on Empowering People in Prison Through Education and Web3

    June 22, 2026 · 📺 Prison Professors

    In this insightful conversation, Michael Santos, founder of Prison Professors, sits down with Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the visionary ...

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  • SpaceX IPO won't compete with crypto: Binance CEO weighs in

    June 22, 2026 · 📺 Yahoo Finance

    The next crypto boom may not come from crypto. Brian Sozzi sits down with Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) to discuss why he believes AI, tokenization, and stablecoins could become the next major drivers of growth for the industry. The conversation also explores what prison taught him, why he doesn't want to run Binance again, and how his view of success has changed after one of the most difficult chapters of his life. Timestamps 00:00 State of crypto today 00:49 Why CZ stays bullish 01:52 What causes crypto winters 03:05 The next crypto catalyst 04:26 AI and crypto adoption 05:54 SpaceX…

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  • "Free Speech Is Why I Backed Elon" - Changpeng Zhao REVEALS His BILLION DOLLAR Bet On Twitter

    May 13, 2026 · 📺 Valuetainment Short Clips

    Changpeng Zhao says he treats heavyweights like Ray Dalio, Larry Fink, Eric Schmidt and Masa Son as mentors rather than peers, noting Dalio thinks in big debt and power cycles while Schmidt focuses on operating complex tech platforms and Fink on how mainstream capital adopts new assets. ------- ▶️ WATCH FULL EPISODE:    • The $110 Billion Dollar Man - Binance Foun...   👞 GET THE NEW FLB 1'S: https://bit.ly/4mXV9gd 💬 TEXT PBD TO 310-340-1132 TO GET A COPY OF THE 2026 PBD PODCAST SURVEY! 🦁 THE VAULT 2026: AUG 31ST TO SEPT 1ST: https://bit.ly/4mZdLhD 🦁 SPONSOR THE VAULT 2026: https://bit.ly/4…

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  • "Biggest Fraudster In History" - Changpeng Zhao EXPOSES SBF & The FTX Collapse

    May 12, 2026 · 📺 Valuetainment

    CZ describes his only one‑on‑one meal with Sam Bankman‑Fried while FTX was seeking Binance investment, saying SBF showed very high EQ and said all the right things about collaborating, regulation and growing the industry, yet Binance initially declined to invest before later taking a small stake. ------- ▶️ WATCH FULL EPISODE:    • The $110 Billion Dollar Man - Binance Foun...   👞 GET THE NEW FLB 1'S: https://bit.ly/4mXV9gd 💬 TEXT PBD TO 310-340-1132 TO GET A COPY OF THE 2026 PBD PODCAST SURVEY! 🦁 THE VAULT 2026: AUG 31ST TO SEPT 1ST: https://bit.ly/4mZdLhD 🦁 SPONSOR THE VAULT 2026: https:…

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  • "America Was The WORST Place To Live" - Binance Founder REVEALS Why He Fled The US

    May 12, 2026 · 📺 Valuetainment

    CZ tells Patrick Bet‑David why he chose to base his life in the UAE, calling it “by far” the safest place he has lived and praising its near‑zero crime rates, smart leadership and missile‑defense readiness. He argues that in a world where wealth is increasingly in borderless intangibles like crypto and IP, pro‑business jurisdictions such as the UAE can attract mobile entrepreneurs and capital, while high‑tax regions risk driving founders and talent away. ------- ▶️ WATCH FULL EPISODE:    • The $110 Billion Dollar Man - Binance Foun...   👞 GET THE NEW FLB 1'S: https://bit.ly/4mXV9gd 💬 TEXT P…

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  • The $110 Billion Dollar Man - Binance Founder Opens Up | PBD #797

    May 12, 2026 · 📺 PBD Podcast

    Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao joins Patrick Bet-David for a deep conversation on Bitcoin, AI, global power, and the future of crypto. CZ opens up about selling his home to go all-in on Bitcoin, building Binance into the world’s largest crypto exchange, and why he believes the UAE is becoming one of the world’s top hubs for business, innovation, and financial freedom. CZ breaks down the intense scrutiny Binance faced from the U.S. government, serving prison time after the DOJ case, and ultimately receiving a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. Along the way, he shares lessons on entre…

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Verified interview transcripts

Notable quotes

“If we're heading towards a world with billions of AI agents that can automatically buy, sell, negotiate, and transact, what money are those agents going to use? For sure it's going to be crypto money. They will probably start with a stable coin. Once you can accept a stable coin, it's very very easy to add Bitcoin. It's also possible some of the large AI companies, they may want to issue their own tokens. I've had di”

“I think for Bitcoin to hit a million dollars would be a good thing and it will happen. I actually don't think we need 25 years. I think it's going to happen much quicker. But more than price, I think we need a lot more utility. I think we need Bitcoin payments to happen on a massive scale. I think we need Bitcoin to be a retirement pension fund reserve. It will get there. All of those things will happen.”

“I think the today the education system wants to produce average person, average predictable kind of factory worker type of person. Nothing against factory workers. I respect any way to make money but I think in tomorrow's world we're living in a world that's hyper competitive. So if you're a developer you're competing with 10 million developers in the world. You got to be the top 1% hopefully 0.1%. If you're in that ”

“If one of your competitors can make a tweet to kill your company, then you don't have a company. If the whole time he was running a company that I could kill with one tweet, he would never have that company. I could tweet about any company, they will not go down. The fact that it went down, there was multiple reasons. No company goes down for one tweet from a competitor no matter how large that competitor is. If toda”

“I think blockchain and also with AI we should allow people to transact much more globally. There's no reason why you couldn't hire your employees or your developers or pay for services across the world. Today's payment system doesn't really allow that very well.”

“I would not tell anyone to sell their apartment to go all in if that's the apartment is the majority of their wealth. I think people should make that decision on their own. There are fluctuations in crypto prices. Well, there are a lot of fluctuations. So, people should understand the risks and learn what are the downsides.”

The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →