Binance ex-CEO ‘CZ’ released from US custody: mulls new plans, works on his book

Changpeng Zhao (CZ), co-founder and former CEO of Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, hinted at his future plans after serving a four-month sentence in the US, where he was deemed the richest prisoner in US history.

CZ was released this past Friday, two days earlier than scheduled. According to prison rules, inmates can be freed on a weekday if their official release date falls on a weekend or holiday.

After greeting his nearly 9 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) with "gm," a common "good morning" in the crypto community, CZ hinted at his upcoming plans in a separate post on Sunday—besides enjoying the "luxury of being able to have more than one piece of fruit per day."

The entrepreneur confirmed he will continue working on Giggle Academy, a crypto-powered educational project that is still in development. CZ also said he will invest in blockchain and decentralized technologies, AI, and biotechnologies while increasing his charitable efforts. "I have some rough ideas," he added without going into specifics.

Zhao also confirmed that he's still working on his book, which, according to him, is "2/3 done."

"Writing a book is a lot more work than I anticipated, but I will see this one through," he said.

However, the Binance co-founder didn’t provide many details about his plans or a possible timeline for his projects, saying he wants "to chill a bit" before "figuring out the next steps."

"There are always more opportunities in the future than there were in the past," CZ said, adding that Binance seems to be "doing well without me back-seat-driving."

As reported by Cybernews in November 2023, CZ stepped down as CEO after admitting to violating US anti-money laundering and sanctions laws in a plea deal worth more than $4 billion. He also paid a $50 million personal fine. Bloomberg Wealth estimates Zhao's net worth to be around $30 billion.