CZ

CZ

Learn Crypto

Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Latest Video
Subscribe

Changpeng Zhao, or CZ, is the founder and former CEO of the exchange Binance.

CZ is a prominent figure in the crypto ecosystem, known both for the Binance empire he launched in 2017, making it the global leader in the sector in just 165 days, and for the numerous memes surrounding him. Among them are:

  • “Four” (4): This is his signature rallying cry. He is often seen in photos flashing the number 4 with his hand. This refers to a 2023 tweet where he listed his priorities; the fourth point was: “Ignore FUD, fake news, attacks, etc.”
  • “Funds are SAFU”: This phrase was born from a typo of the word “safe” during unplanned maintenance in 2018. Following parodies, the term stuck and today, “SAFU” is even a real emergency insurance fund (the Secure Asset Fund for Users) designed to protect Binance customers.
  • “Broccoli”: This is the name of the dog CZ adopted.

Despite an estimated fortune of over $70 billion, CZ cultivates a very approachable image, even going so far as to make pizzas for Binance users during a marketing campaign for Bitcoin Pizza Day.

Join our newsletter

But his journey has also been full of ups and downs, like his fight with Sam Bankman-Fried during the FTX collapse and his high-profile legal battles. On the 21st of November 2023, CZ resigned as CEO after admitting to breaking anti-money laundering laws and agreeing that Binance would pay $4.3 billion to the U.S. Department of Justice.

After serving a brief prison sentence in 2024, CZ is now fully dedicated to “Giggle Academy.” a gamified educational platform designed to teach underprivileged children the skills needed to master the world of tomorrow.

Disclaimer: Coin Medium is not responsible for any losses or damages resulting from reliance on any content, products, or services mentioned in our articles or content belonging to the Coin Medium brand, including but not limited to its social media, newsletters, or posts related to Coin Medium team members.

Related Terms

DeAI

DeAI, short for Decentralized AI, is a segment of the blockchain ecosystem aimed at fostering the decentralization of artificial intelligence. Since the explosion of artificial intelligence following the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022, the world has realized the importance of AI and the agents revolving around it. The general public has also begun to become aware of another major issue: the centralization of data and servers required for the training, deployment, and use of these various models. Following

Composability

Composability in crypto refers to the ability of different blockchain apps and protocols to work together. It acts like building blocks, often referred to as ‘Money Legos’ in decentralized finance (DeFi). More importantly, these building blocks don’t need permission from anyone else. Developers and users can combine digital parts to create something more useful. They don’t need special permission to do this. Composability lets smart contracts on a blockchain like Ethereum work together to create public building blocks that anyone

Consensus

In the world of crypto, “consensus” is quite literally when a network of computers (nodes) agree on what is true in the blockchain. They do not depend on banks or governments to verify; instead, the nodes decide to agree on which transactions are real and give their approval on the timeline of when they occured. A consensus mechanism is a built-in set of rules that ensures every node reaches the same conclusion about which transactions to add to that ledger.

Stay ahead of the curve with expert crypto insights, guides, and market trends — join to our newsletter.

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER

Follow Coin Medium