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From crypto pioneer to global icon, Changpeng Zhao reflects on power, legacy, and the personal toll of reshaping how the world handles money.
Changpeng Zhao — known to the world as “CZ” — didn’t just launch Binance. He redefined how money moves across borders, how people build wealth, and how billions interact with financial systems that once locked them out.
Since its launch in 2017, Binance grew from a small crypto exchange into a global force, empowering millions and minting more than a few fortunes along the way. And at the center of it all was CZ — the soft-spoken builder whose decisions sent shockwaves through global finance.
In a recent interview, Zhao opened up in a rare, deeply human way. For years, he’s kept the conversation focused strictly on the business: strategy, scaling, regulations. But now, he reflects on the weight of leadership, the pressures of building during chaos, and the personal toll of being in crypto’s hottest seat.
Gone are the guarded statements. In their place is a man reckoning with legacy. Zhao doesn’t dodge the controversies — the regulatory scrutiny, the courtroom battles, the media storms. Instead, he acknowledges them, with a calm that suggests hard-earned perspective.
He speaks not just as an entrepreneur, but as someone who’s watched the system change from the inside. For many, Binance wasn’t just a trading platform — it was a passport to a new kind of freedom. From struggling economies in Africa to inflation-ridden corners of Latin America, Binance helped millions bypass broken banks and failing currencies.
Whether hailed as a visionary or criticized as a disruptor, CZ’s impact is undeniable. He brought crypto to the mainstream and, in doing so, gave millions access to tools they’d never had before.
Today, his future is less about building exchanges and more about defining what comes next. Will he return as an innovator? A reformer? A philanthropist? Or will he quietly fade from public life, content to let the next generation of builders take the lead?
Whatever path he chooses, one thing is clear: Changpeng Zhao changed the game. And in this rare moment of reflection, he reminds us that behind every platform, every protocol, and every market shift — there’s a person.
And this person reshaped the world.
