Inside the New York Times profile of CZ: UAE passport, the pardon push and life in Lompoc

The New York Times published a long profile of Changpeng Zhao based on several meetings with him in Abu Dhabi this year. The English original ran on Oct 1, 2026, and the Times' Chinese edition published a translation on Oct 26.

What the piece reports, per the Times:

• UAE citizenship. CZ says a UAE royal offered him citizenship at a dinner in late 2022 or early 2023, and a government envoy later delivered passports for him and his family. The Times notes the UAE has no extradition treaty with the US; CZ is quoted saying the UAE "will never extradite citizens".
• The pardon. CZ calls the process a "black box". The Times says, citing two people familiar and documents it reviewed, that his legal team had been working with pardon lawyer Brett Tolman since December 2024, and that public filings show Binance paid $2.1 million to a lobbying firm run by Ches McDowell for services including "executive relief". The paper also reports that Steve Witkoff privately told an acquaintance CZ should be pardoned; the White House said Witkoff played no role.
• MGX and USD1. CZ says MGX chose to settle its $2 billion Binance investment in World Liberty's USD1 and that he no longer holds USD1. The Times cites a person familiar putting that deal's Binance valuation at $75 billion.
• Prison. He reported to Lompoc on May 30, 2024, prepared by prison consultants including Michael Santos, and was flown to Abu Dhabi 26 minutes after leaving custody.
• Wealth and Binance. CZ says his net worth is roughly $10-30 billion, not the $100 billion+ Forbes estimates. He told the Times he disagreed with Binance's since-dropped lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, calling it a waste of time.

All of the above is what the Times reports or what CZ told the Times; see the linked article for full context, including the paper's account of compliance concerns raised at Binance.