Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao recently shared insights into his time in prison, future plans, and relationship with Binance during the Binance Blockchain Week conference. In an interview on the Wu Blockchain podcast, Zhao spoke openly about the importance of human connections during his prison experience. He also discussed being the first person to receive jail time for a single violation of Banking Secrecy Act, contrasting it with other cases like TD Bank’s $1.8 billion fine where no individuals were charged.
Addressing his current relationship with Binance, Zhao clarified that he remains a large shareholder but has stepped down from operational duties. He debunked reports of a supposed “lifetime ban” from managing crypto exchanges, stating that such terms were not part of his plea agreement with the government. Looking forward, Zhao announced his focus on Giggle Academy, an educational initiative, and investments in blockchain, AI, and biotech sectors.
Giggle Academy aims to provide digital education to approximately 1.2 billion people globally who lack access to traditional education. The platform plans to leverage AI, game developers, and teachers to create interactive educational content for mobile devices. Zhao highlighted the project’s social impact focus over profitability, estimating a development cost of $1–2 billion for educational content across various subjects and languages.
Regarding the cryptocurrency market, Zhao expressed optimism about its long-term prospects while acknowledging short-term uncertainties. He pointed out the historical pattern of four-year cycles in Bitcoin’s performance and stressed the need for continued infrastructure development in the crypto space. On regulatory matters, Zhao noted positive trends in crypto legislation across different jurisdictions, mentioning that larger countries typically have slower regulatory implementation processes.
