Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ in the cryptocurrency world, revealed on social media that he has no plans to reclaim the CEO role at Binance, the exchange he founded in 2017. Instead, the billionaire expressed a desire to receive a pardon from the pro-crypto elected president Donald Trump.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), John Lilic, founder of Telos, a Web3 studio venture, urged Trump to pardon CZ so he could continue leading Binance. In response, Zhao clarified that although he does not wish to lead Binance again, he is still willing to be pardoned.

A cryptocurrency developer on X, Grinding Poet, criticized Richard Teng, who succeeded CZ as CEO of Binance. This developer accused Teng of listing obscure tokens, possibly referring to the inclusion of Act I: The AI Prophecy (ACT), which saw a 2,000% increase after being listed.

Additionally, another token, THENA (THE), skyrocketed by 1,000% in the past 30 days, adding to the controversy. The developer commented, "Teng is making crime great again," emphasizing dissatisfaction with the direction Binance has taken under Teng's leadership.

According to a part of the agreement with the Department of Justice (DoJ) last year, CZ was sentenced to four months in prison and resigned as CEO of Binance. Zhao admitted to violating anti-money laundering (AML) laws and served his sentence at a rehabilitation facility in California. He was released on September 27.

After being released from prison, CZ announced plans to focus on Giggle Academy, an educational project he initiated. He also revealed that he is writing a book. Despite being incarcerated, Zhao's net worth significantly increased during this period, rising from $36.5 billion to $61 billion, allowing him to earn $25 million each day while in custody.