Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, began life in Jiangsu Province, China, born to teacher parents. At 12, he moved to Canada, where he juggled gas station and McDonald’s jobs, laying a foundation of discipline and hard work long before cryptocurrency entered his orbit.
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In his 20s, CZ turned to the stock market, joining Bloomberg as a trading systems specialist. His coding speed and perfectionism stood out, setting the stage for his next move. He later founded Fusion Systems, developing software for high-frequency trading, serving banks and funds - a venture that honed his technical prowess.
The game-changer came in 2013 when CZ read the Bitcoin whitepaper. He sold his Shanghai home, betting everything on BTC, and joined Blockchain.info and OKCoin, cementing his crypto focus.
The pivotal year of 2017 saw him launch Binance with a whitepaper and a vision. Within six months, it became the world’s top exchange, with $BNB token breaking into the top five.
Binance expanded into spot trading, futures, DeFi, and launchpads, driven by CZ’s mantra: speed and execution trump perfection. Despite global regulatory pressure - culminating in a U.S. prison stint - Binance adapted and thrived. In 2020, CZ predicted Bitcoin would hit $100K, a call he nailed, and now he boldly forecasts $1M per BTC as inevitable.
CZ’s principles guide his journey:
- Think independently, ignoring Twitter hype.
- Stay focused, tackling a few projects with deep insight.
- Prioritize long-term belief over short-term noise.
From flipping burgers to building a crypto empire, CZ’s path reflects discipline, calculated risk, and unwavering faith in Bitcoin—a testament to how grit and vision can reshape finance.
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