On September 30, Beijing time, Zhao Changpeng, the founder of Binance, made his first public statement after being released from prison over the weekend. He announced his next move on X, promising to continue investing in the blockchain, artificial intelligence and biotechnology.
Last Friday, Zhao Changpeng was released early, ending a four-month prison sentence. In November, he reached a plea agreement with the US government, admitted to money laundering, failed to prevent criminals and terrorist organizations from using his exchange, and agreed to pay a personal fine of $50 million, step down as Binance CEO, and serve four months in prison. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Zhao Changpeng's net worth exceeds $30 billion, which is likely to make him the richest American prisoner in history. At the same time, Binance was fined $4.3 billion and faces years of compliance monitoring by the US Department of Justice and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Bureau of the Treasury Department.
Zhao Changpeng said on X on Sunday that he needed to calm down first and then determine the next step. There are always more opportunities in the future than in the past.
First, he thanked everyone for their support. "It means a lot to me and keeps me strong during my darkest moments," he said.
Although he has not planned his next move, he still briefly updated some of his project progress and his initial thoughts. Zhao Changpeng said that his new project, Giggle Academy, a non-profit online education platform, is progressing smoothly and will "become an important part of my life" in the next few years.
Zhao Changpeng said he would continue to invest in blockchain/decentralized technology, artificial intelligence and biotechnology, and described himself as a long-term investor who focuses on impact rather than returns.
He’s also devoting more time and money to philanthropy (and education), and he’s got some rough ideas of his own. He’s also working on a book, two-thirds of the way through, which is a lot more work than he expected, but he’s going to finish it.
Finally, Zhao Changpeng mentioned the development of Binance. "Binance seems to be doing well without my intervention, which is great. This is every founder's dream!" he said. #币安上线CATI #美联储11月降息预期升温 #非农就业数据即将公布 #BTC #ETH $BTC $ETH $BNB
