CZ reflects on prison 👮

Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao opened up about his four months spent behind bars last year. Here's what he had to say.

Author

Andrew Hayward
May 05, 2025

📝 What you need to know

Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao spent four months in prison last year after agreeing to settle U.S. charges alongside the world’s largest centralized crypto exchange. Now he’s opening up about the experience.

Speaking with Farokh Sarmad of Rug Radio—Decrypt’s sister company—at last week’s Token2049 in Dubai, Zhao recounted the experience of sharing a cell with a murderer and getting to know other violent offenders. CZ admitted that prison was a scary experience, but said that being behind bars helped him shift his priorities.

“It made me realize what is important,” Zhao said. “Health is most important, and second is family. And then it’s work and the rest of the stuff. You don’t miss the good food; I missed the nice bed a little bit, but I missed my family.”

Watch the full interview for more about CZ’s time in prison, his thoughts on the second Trump presidency, and the current state of crypto.

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📹️ WATCH: Binance Founder CZ Talks Life Inside Prison, Trump Presidency, and the State of Crypto

In an exclusive interview, Rug Radio's Farokh Sarmad sits down with Changpeng Zhao, known by many as "CZ," Binance's founder and former CEO. They discuss CZ's time in jail, its hardships and lessons, his thoughts on the second Trump presidency, and how he's feeling about the crypto space in general.

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