CZ: From House Sale to Crypto Empire 🚀

Born in Lianyungang, China in 1977, Changpeng Zhao (CZ) transformed into a crypto world titan 🌍. His path from modest roots to billionaire seems almost mythical.

At 12, he moved to Canada. Studied computer science. Became a programmer building trading systems. The Tokyo Stock Exchange hired him. Later, Bloomberg New York. Three promotions in under two years 📈. Pretty impressive.

By 2005, he'd had enough. Something wasn't right. He quit and headed to Shanghai, starting Fuxin Information Technology. High-frequency trading systems became his specialty.

The Pivotal Moment 🔄

It was Bobby Lee who planted the seed. "Put 10% in BTC," he told CZ. "Double your wealth if it goes 10x. Lose just 10% if it crashes." That conversation kind of changed everything.

CZ joined Blockchain.info. Third founding employee. Eight months with BTC evangelists Roger Ver and Ben Reeves. Their conviction rubbed off on him. The tech seemed revolutionary.

All-In on Web3 💎

June 2014. A wild decision. CZ sold his Shanghai house. Every penny went into Bitcoin. His possessions? Just a mobile phone. Nothing else 🤯. Few people go 99% crypto. He did.

Then disaster struck. Shanghai housing doubled. Bitcoin crashed. His finances? Decimated. Yet he stayed. Stubborn maybe. Or visionary. Not entirely clear. During this time, he mastered exchange operations.

Rise to Crypto Dominance 🌕

His venture launched in 2017. Fifteen million raised. Ten days. That fast.

A year later? Sequoia Capital wanted in. IDG Capital too. They practically begged to invest.

Bitcoin went crazy. Three thousand to twenty thousand dollars. September to December 2017. Trading exploded. Global volume hit $60 billion daily. His platform? A sixth of that. Ten billion every day 💰. Staggering numbers.

Current Status and Fortune 💼

September 2025. Legal issues behind him. Net worth? $62.9 billion, Bloomberg says. Mostly BNB tokens. He owns about 64% of what's circulating.

He stepped down as CEO. Late 2023. Regulatory settlements forced his hand. Still influential though. Word is he's seeking a presidential pardon. Still passionate about blockchain innovation.

From house-seller to billionaire. CZ embodies crypto's wild promise. Risk-taking pays. Sometimes. His conviction never wavered 🔥. That's rare.