CZ Says He Never Wanted to Be Number One and His New Book Explains Why

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, posted a candid reflection on ambition this week that resonated across the crypto community.

“Many people misunderstand my lack of ambition,” he wrote. “I never tried to be the world’s number one at anything. I always just tried to do my best and be my own number one.”

The post was tied to a reminder about his memoir Freedom of Money, which tells the full story of his life from childhood through founding the world’s largest crypto exchange, his legal battles with US authorities, his prison sentence, his pardon, and everything in between.

What the Book Actually Covers

Freedom of Money is CZ’s first-person account of a life that took him from growing up without running water and his family’s immigration to Canada to building Binance from a small 2017 startup into a platform serving over 300 million users and reaching a billion-dollar valuation faster than almost any company in history.

The book covers the founding years, the explosive growth, the culture and principles behind Binance’s rise, the collapse of Luna and UST, the fall of FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried, and his dealings with the US Department of Justice and SEC.

During his imprisonment, CZ has been vocal. He describes himself as the only person in US history to ever go to jail for a single violation of the Bank Secrecy Act without concurrent fraud or money laundering charges. He served four months before receiving a full and unconditional presidential pardon.

“Binance grew faster than almost anyone thought possible, and along the way, the story of crypto and my role in it was told by a lot of other people,” CZ said. “Freedom of Money is my chance to tell that story in my own words.”

All proceeds from the book go to charity.

Dubai Book Signing

The first in-person book signing event is coming to Dubai soon. CZ said the event will be kept deliberately small due to limited physical copies available, with more details to follow for those interested in attending.

Related: CZ Says Crypto Is Still in Its Infancy and Everyday Investors Are Not Too Late