Binance founder Zhao Changpeng (CZ) has explicitly stated that he has no intention of returning to the company and praised the capabilities of the current team. He is optimistic about the shift in US government policies and predicts that Bitcoin will break the four-year halving cycle in 2026, ushering in a super cycle.
After US President Trump pardoned Binance co-founder Zhao Changpeng (CZ), there were multiple rumors that he would retake control of Binance. However, CZ recently clarified in an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box that he has no plans to rejoin Binance, despite previous restrictions being fully lifted.
CZ admitted that in November 2023, he pleaded guilty to anti-money laundering compliance issues and resigned as CEO, subsequently serving four months in prison, which forced him to leave the company he co-founded. This was indeed a painful experience for him at the time.
But after some time of reflection, he believes this is a good opportunity for him to step down after seven years at the helm. CZ emphasized that he currently sees no need to go back, nor does he think returning would be a good idea. He believes the opportunity should be left to other strong leaders to grow.
Regarding Binance’s performance after his departure, CZ pointed out that current CEO Richard Teng and Co-CEO He Yi are very capable. Under their leadership, Binance’s development pace has never slowed, and all growth indicators are excellent.
According to an open letter released by Binance management in December last year, the platform’s global user count has surpassed 300 million, with an astonishing annual total trading volume reaching $34 trillion.
CZ describes his current role as merely a very passive shareholder. He humorously states that the current team does not need a backseat driver who meddles from behind.
If he has any suggestions, he usually chooses to post directly on X (formerly Twitter) to give advice, rather than getting involved in specific company decisions.
Related reports:
Binance launches dual-CEO system! Richard Teng and He Yi team up to aim for 1 billion users
When discussing the future trend of the cryptocurrency market, CZ said that although he cannot precisely predict short-term prices, looking five to ten years ahead, the market upward trend is quite clear.
He further expressed a strong feeling that Bitcoin will experience a super cycle in this year (2026).
CZ explained that previously, Bitcoin followed a four-year halving bull-bear cycle, but he has observed significant changes in the overall environment this year.
With the US government adopting a highly supportive stance toward cryptocurrencies, along with many other countries following suit, Bitcoin is expected to break the four-year cycle pattern supported by strong fundamentals.
Additionally, he also revealed that he is currently spending a lot of time consulting with governments worldwide on cryptocurrency regulation and asset tokenization, and he is optimistic that these policy shifts will bring unprecedented opportunities to the industry.
Further reading:
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