The unofficial, source-backed reference on Changpeng Zhao (CZ)

References

Select a title to open the original page. Dates and verification notes are kept as found.

1. ↑ ab CZ post: “When BNB started 9 years ago…”
   X @cz_binance · 2026-10-26 · primary source
2. ↑ ab CZ pitches BNB Chain's role in AI as BNB Standard rings Nasdaq bell
   The Block · 2026-10-26 · media report; not marked as a primary source
3. ↑ Binance's CZ Has the Last Laugh
   Yahoo Finance / Moby · 2026-10-26 · contains commentary
4. ↑ CZ post: “Multiple chains, one coins.”
   X @cz_binance · 2026-10-25 · primary source
5. ↑ CZ post: interview with PIVOT
   X @cz_binance · 2026-10-24 · primary source
6. ↑ CZ: In the AI Era, Reject "Cog-in-the-Machine" Thinking (compiled from the PIVOT interview)
   PANews / TechFlow · 2026-10-24 (broadcast date of the interview) · secondary compilation; must be checked against the original interview
7. ↑ CZ post: AI-voiced audiobook of Freedom of Money on Spotify
   X @cz_binance · 2026-10-24 · primary source
8. ↑ ab Giggle Academy Reaches 2 Million Learners
   Giggle Academy official blog · 2026-10-09 · official
9. ↑ abcd Binance and CEO Plead Guilty to Federal Charges in $4B Resolution
   U.S. Department of Justice (press release) · 2023-11-21 · official primary source
10. ↑ abc Binance crypto founder Zhao sentenced to four months in prison
    Reuters · 2024-04-30 (updated 05-01) · media report; not marked as a primary source
11. ↑ abc Binance founder 'CZ' released from custody after four-month sentence
    TechCrunch · 2024-09-27 · media report; not marked as a primary source
12. ↑ abc Executive Grant of Clemency — United States v. Zhao, 23CR00179RAJ-001
    U.S. DOJ, Office of the Pardon Attorney · 2025-10-21 (date signed) · official primary source
13. ↑ Trump pardons founder of Binance, world's largest crypto exchange
    The Guardian · 2025-10-23 · media report; not marked as a primary source
14. ↑ ab Trump pardons convicted Binance founder 'CZ' Zhao
    Reuters · 2025-10-23 · media report; not marked as a primary source
15. ↑ abcd Changpeng Zhao
    Wikipedia (English) · (accessed 2026-10-27) · secondary compilation; where it cites primary sources we try to go back to them
16. ↑ Binance's CZ: 'I Made Mistakes', Confirms Richard Teng Will Take Over as CEO
    Decrypt (quotes the full text of CZ’s post that day) · 2023-11-21 · media report; not marked as a primary source
17. ↑ Binance founder sentenced to 4 months in prison for allowing money laundering
    Associated Press · 2024-04-30 · media report; not marked as a primary source
18. ↑ Binance Labs Gets Major Overhaul With CZ Taking Active Role in Investments
    CoinDesk · 2025-01-23 · media report; not marked as a primary source
19. ↑ Binance Labs Rebrands to YZi Labs
    Binance Square (Binance official bulletin) · 2025-01-23 · official
20. ↑ US SEC voluntarily dismisses lawsuit against Binance
    Reuters · 2025-05-29 · media report; not marked as a primary source
21. ↑ SEC Litigation Release No. 26316 — Binance Holdings Limited; BAM Trading; Changpeng Zhao
    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) · 2025-05 (exact date per the original) · official primary source
22. ↑ Binance Founder CZ Publishes Freedom of Money
    PR Newswire (press release) · 2026-04-08 · publisher’s own description
23. ↑ Freedom of Money: A Memoir of Protecting Users, Resilience, and the Founding of Binance
    Amazon product page · 2026-04-08 (publication date) · publisher’s own description
24. ↑ Docket: Binance Holdings Limited v. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., No. 1:26-cv-01980 (S.D.N.Y.)
    CourtListener / RECAP Archive (Free Law Project) · 2026-03-11 (filed) · court docket
25. ↑ Binance dismisses US suit against Wall Street Journal over Iranian transactions
    MLex · 2026-09-23 · news report; paywalled
26. ↑ Binance has just filed to dismiss with prejudice its defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal
    Molly White (mollywhite.net) · 2026-09-22 · commentary by a named crypto researcher; links Bloomberg report of the same day
27. ↑ Inside a Billionaire’s Paradise With Crypto’s Most Powerful Ex-Convict
    The New York Times (David Yaffe-Bellany) · 2026-10-01 (updated 2026-10-04) · news report; paywalled
28. ↑ Binance founder Changpeng Zhao says he's worth far less than $100 billion
    Billionaires.Africa · 2026-10-05 · news report relaying the NYT profile
29. ↑ Complaint, Greenberg v. Trump, No. 1:26-cv-03686 (D.D.C.), Document 1
    U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (via CourtListener RECAP) · 2026-10-22 · court filing (allegations only)
30. ↑ Lawsuit accuses Trump of illegally profiting off foreign crypto deals
    CNBC · 2026-10-22 · news report
31. ↑ Binance entra com pedido de prestadora de serviços de ativos virtuais no Banco Central
    Valor Econômico · 2026-10-26 · Portuguese
32. ↑ Binance files for Brazil crypto license ahead of Friday deadline
    Cointelegraph · 2026-10-27 · media report; not marked as a primary source
33. ↑ Binance vai restringir 8 serviços e retirar 22 criptomoedas para brasileiros após novas regras do BC
    Portal do Bitcoin (UOL) · 2026-10-08 · Portuguese
34. ↑ 2026胡润百富榜 (Hurun China Rich List 2026)
    Hurun Research Institute · 2026-10-27 · publisher release; wealth cut-off 2026-09-01
35. ↑ CZ: “User funds are safe! It does look like a hack on Binance…”
    X @cz_binance · 2026-10-29 · primary source
36. ↑ Binance: “Binance will cover all losses”; all deposits and withdrawals temporarily suspended
    X @binance · 2026-10-30 · official
37. ↑ Approximately $5.7 billion left Binance-linked wallets across Ethereum, Bitcoin and TRON
    X @Cointelegraph · 2026-10-29 · media report; not marked as a primary source
38. ↑ Binance: initial investigation suggests a compromised DevOps engineer’s laptop; estimated impact around $6.3B, ~$3B frozen
    X @binance · 2026-10-30 · official; preliminary findings
39. ↑ Binance investigation update: additional points of breach; withdrawals on track to resume in 45 hours
    X @binance · 2026-10-30 · official; revises the earlier laptop-only finding
40. ↑ Binance has begun recovering affected assets; over $6.34B of company funds reserved
    X @binance · 2026-10-30 · official
41. ↑ North Korea steals USD 6.36 billion from Binance in the largest hack in history
    TRM Labs · 2026-10-30 · blockchain-intelligence firm’s assessment; not an official attribution
42. ↑ Binance exploit: latest findings and response
    Chainalysis · 2026-10-30 · blockchain-intelligence firm’s assessment
43. ↑ FBI and US Secret Service working with Binance after $6.3 billion hack, source says
    Reuters (via Yahoo News) · 2026-10-30 · single unnamed source; USSS did not respond, US embassy in London declined comment
44. ↑ CZ: “Rough math … Gap is about $2b … manageable”
    X @cz_binance · 2026-10-30 · primary source; CZ’s own rough estimate
45. ↑ Binance hack updates: US Secret Service says it is helping to track funds stolen from crypto firm in $6.3bn hack
    BBC News (live page) · 2026-10-30 · live page quoting a US Secret Service statement
46. ↑ Trump investigates $6.3B Binance crypto hack
    The Hill · 2026-10-30 · news report with on-record quotes
47. ↑ Binance security incident update from co-CEOs Yi He and Richard Teng (X article)
    X @binance · 2026-10-30 · official
48. ↑ CZ to TuanX: “I never said ‘selling SPCX shares’”; mentioned them only because an FTX comparison implied Binance lacked funds
    X @cz_binance · 2026-10-31 · primary source
49. ↑ CZ to ansem: “Fight with one of the strongest builders in the world? No thx. Let’s fight the North Korean hackers.”
    X @cz_binance · 2026-10-31 · primary source
50. ↑ Chainalysis: hackers are using old tactics to transfer stolen funds from Binance, and transfers to ETH can still be tracked
    ChainCatcher · 2026-10-31 · news report on Chainalysis findings
51. ↑ Binance in talks for Malaysia license after five-year absence
    Bloomberg · 2026-10-31 · news report with on-record company statement
52. ↑ Richard Teng: “We've now replenished 90% of the stolen assets, and we're committed to covering the remaining 10%.”
    X @_RichardTeng · 2026-10-31 · official, Binance co-CEO
53. ↑ North Korea Responsible for $6 Billion+ Binance Attack
    Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) · 2026-10-31 · official US government cyber alert
54. ↑ Binance: “We have already covered $6B of the impacted amount of the hacked loss.”
    X @binance · 2026-11-01 · official
55. ↑ Binance resumes bitcoin, ether withdrawals after covering bulk of stolen $6.3 billion (Reuters)
    Investing.com / Reuters · 2026-11-01 · wire report
56. ↑ Binance: “First batch network now opened in phase one of withdrawals is $BTC bitcoin network”
    X @binance · 2026-11-01 · official
57. ↑ Binance: Latest Withdrawal Update (ZEC, TON and SUI added; 15 networks listed as enabled)
    X @binance · 2026-11-01 · official
58. ↑ CZ: “US Law Enforcement agencies (FBI, USSS, IRS and more) provided vital help in this incident, including tracking, freezing, etc.”
    X @cz_binance · 2026-11-01 · primary source
59. ↑ CZ: “Screenshots and videos are easy to fake. The chat in image 3 is fake.”
    X @cz_binance · 2026-11-01 · primary source
60. ↑ CZ: “I don't run Binance anymore. I am still a shareholder, and a supporter. Free to tweet.”
    X @cz_binance · 2026-11-01 · primary source
61. ↑ Binance: withdrawal and deposit update for 1 November ($4.649B withdrawn, $1.01B deposited, 2.1% net outflow; new PoR report expected)
    X @binance · 2026-11-01 · official
62. ↑ CZ: “12 hours after withdrawals resumed: 2.1% net outflow … 98% choose to stay!”
    X @cz_binance · 2026-11-01 · primary source
63. ↑ U.S. Secret Service: investigation of the theft of more than $6 billion from Binance Global, with federal partners
    X @SecretService · 2026-11-01 · official US government statement