Topics & People

An early Chinese Bitcoin exchange. Its CEO, Bobby Lee, was influential in convincing CZ to invest in Bitcoin.

A venture capitalist friend who, during a poker game, first introduced CZ to Bitcoin, sparking his interest in the technology.

Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering verification protocols.

CZ spent four months in a low-security federal prison as part of his sentence. He describes the experience, including the racial segregation and social structures within the system.

A university in Canada where CZ studied computer science, though he did not formally graduate, leaving for an internship that turned into a full-time job.

The city where CZ co-founded his first startup, an IT services firm, and where he first discovered and invested in Bitcoin.

A central theme in CZ's early life, moving from China to Canada post-Tiananmen Square, learning a new language, and his family working low-wage jobs, which shaped his work ethic and perspective.

The native cryptocurrency of the Binance ecosystem, initially launched through an ICO to fund the exchange. Its primary utility was offering trading fee discounts.

A series of regulatory actions by the Chinese government that outlawed crypto exchanges and ICOs in 2017. This forced the newly-founded Binance team to pivot and relocate from China to Japan.

One of the earliest Bitcoin wallet providers where CZ worked after deciding to go all-in on crypto. He was the third person to join the team.

A Chinese cryptocurrency exchange where CZ served as CTO for about 8 months before leaving due to cultural and ethical disagreements.

CEO of BTC China who advised CZ to invest 10% of his net worth into Bitcoin, a key moment in CZ's journey into crypto.