Written by: Techub News Compilation

Recently, Binance founder CZ (Changpeng Zhao) accepted an in-depth video interview with Crypto Banter for the first time after being released from prison, choosing a "secret location" for the conversation. In this hour-long dialogue, CZ candidly reflected on his life-changing experience in prison, shared his journey of writing the new book "Freedom of Money" while incarcerated, and delved into the future of cryptocurrency, the immense potential of the AI agent economy, and his rethinking of wealth, family, and life. This is a rare opportunity for the crypto and tech industry to glimpse into the true thoughts and future plans of someone who once led the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange.

Four Months in Prison: From Billionaire Prisoner to Inner Clarity

"The newspapers said I was the richest person ever to enter a U.S. prison," CZ (Changpeng Zhao) recalled calmly. This designation made him a subject of "special care" while incarcerated, with his lawyer warning him that he was the "primary target" of extortion. This uncertainty persisted from the moment he entered prison until the moment he was released, constituting the greatest mental pressure during his four-month incarceration.

The process of entering prison was dramatic. After entering the "halfway house," he was supposed to be under home confinement for the last nine days. However, on the 13th day before the end of his sentence, the police brought him back to the detention center in handcuffs. "The detention center is worse than prison," CZ described, "It's temporary, with nothing." He worried at one point that prosecutors might add new charges. Even on the day of his release, he waited from 8 AM until nearly 11 AM to be called by name; only when the plane left U.S. airspace did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. This experience made him deeply realize that rules can change at any moment, and there is no true certainty.

To cope with the long and anxious days, CZ chose to start writing while in prison, which later became the draft of the published book "Freedom of Money." In the federal prison, 200 inmates shared 4 terminals without internet access, where each person could use it for only 15 minutes per session, with no copying or pasting or deleting allowed. CZ used the three or four daily opportunities to quickly "brain dump" the points he had previously written on paper through a messaging app that could only connect with 30 pre-approved contacts, sending content snippets to assistants and friends. After his release, he spent another year and a half revising before finally completing the book.

"Writing a book is actually writing to oneself," CZ said, quoting writer Ann Lamont's view, "It's a way of having a conversation with oneself." By sorting through his life, he pondered what is important and meaningful, and what is not. This forced pause became a natural turning point in his life.

In the small society of prison, CZ deliberately kept a low profile and did not want to be treated specially. The prison grouped Asians, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders together, and the six-person small group provided a degree of protection. He got to know some fellow inmates and still keeps in touch with two of them, including a former Cisco developer who robbed 12 banks. Despite the harsh environment, CZ stated that U.S. federal prisons do well in controlling physical violence; the real torture comes from the "psychological games" of prison guards and the uncertainty of the system.

When asked what he missed the most while in prison, CZ answered without hesitation: "People. Your family, children, loved ones, and friends. When everything is taken away, you realize what you miss the most." This experience clarified his life priorities: spending more time with family in the future and reducing time spent on trivial people and luxurious social events. His views on "reputation" and "legacy" have also changed: "I don't care much about how others see me; what I care about is how I view myself when I'm old."

Life After Release: Investments, Family, and Unwavering Belief in Crypto

After his release, CZ's pace of life clearly slowed down but remained fulfilling. He primarily allocates his energy to four things: the educational platform Google Academy, the investment firm Easy Labs, BNB chain-related matters, and providing cryptocurrency regulatory framework consulting for multiple governments. Work still occupies 80%-90% of his time, but he reserves the remaining 10%-20% for family and rest.

Now, CZ has five children; the two older ones have just completed their university studies, while the three younger ones are aged 7, 5, and 3. He admits he now spends more time with his younger children, ensuring that this time is of "high quality"—no phones when they are together. He does not feel intense guilt for missing time with his older children due to entrepreneurship; he believes everyone has different life paths, and the environment in which his children are growing up is far better than what he experienced, and they maintain close communication.

As one of the richest people in the world, CZ follows Warren Buffett's philosophy for wealth education for his children: give them enough money to feel they can do anything but not so much that they feel they don't need to do anything. He tells his children that he can support them if they want a comfortable life; but if they want luxury goods, sports cars, private jets, or yachts, they need to earn that themselves. He believes that this "partial neglect" makes the two older children quite driven.

Regarding his immense wealth, CZ's consumption philosophy is extremely simple. He wears Sketchers shoes, a Garmin watch, and Amazon basic pants; his private jet is primarily for privacy considerations, and his yacht is just a small boat—he even neglects to properly repair leaks in his house in Abu Dhabi. He believes that the marginal utility of money decreases very quickly; beyond a certain amount (for example, $50 million), more money has no impact on happiness. His goal is not to enjoy money but to make money a tool for driving positive developments in the world; he plans to invest most of his wealth in AI, biotechnology, and other fields that can have the greatest positive impact during his lifetime.

The Future of Crypto: AI Agent Economy and the Trillion-Dollar Track

Although he has ventured into AI and biotechnology investments, CZ admits that 80%-90% of his time and energy is still focused on the cryptocurrency field. "Blockchain is the technology of money; we will always need money, and we need more efficient and freer currencies." He firmly believes that blockchain is one of the three foundational technologies alongside the Internet and AI.

Regarding Bitcoin, CZ remains steadfast: "For now, there is nothing that can replace Bitcoin. It still holds dominance and durability." However, he also admits that better "Bitcoin-like currency" may emerge in the future.

The truly disruptive prospect, CZ believes, lies in the AI agent economy. He envisions a future where everyone will have hundreds of AI agents, and there will be billions of agents globally that need to conduct massive, small, cross-border, trustless transactions. He gives a vivid example: two self-driving cars on their way to the airport, where one car pays a small fee to the other to overtake, with the negotiation and payment process automatically completed by smart contracts under the verification of an oracle, without the two parties needing to know or trust each other.

"I try to prove to myself that there are alternatives to cryptocurrency, but I see none." CZ stated, "If the AI agent economy becomes a reality, then cryptocurrency is its inevitable financial track." Based on this, he made a bold judgment: cryptocurrency is the most undervalued asset class currently. If the transaction volume in future financial dealings grows by a thousand or ten thousand times, then the value of crypto assets, as its underlying infrastructure, will far exceed the current market value of $2 trillion.

Regarding which specific currency AI agents will use, CZ believes there are multiple possibilities: it could be Bitcoin and its layer-two solutions like the Lightning Network, or it could be tokens or blockchains issued by highly concentrated AI giants. Regardless, blockchain technology is the only viable solution for achieving this global, permissionless microtransaction economy. He even set his sights on the stars: "When Elon Musk takes humanity to Mars and builds communities, how do we trade with them? We will not trust any intermediary on Earth; we need the appropriate currency—that is cryptocurrency."

Investment Philosophy, Regulatory Reflections, and Future Path

Today, CZ's role has shifted more from entrepreneur to investor and mentor. Through Easy Labs, he seeks out and invests in promising founders and projects. His investment criteria are very "basic": first, look for a product and profitability; if none, check if the product has good market fit; then focus on the team. For founders, he values two points: technical ability and sense of mission. "If a person is only in it for the money, he might stop at a relatively successful point but will not become part of history's great companies."

Besides capital, CZ can provide crypto projects with industry reputation, a vast community resource, a deep understanding of the crypto landscape, and specific advice on token economics design and compliance.

Reflecting on Binance's entanglement with U.S. regulators, CZ stated that if he could do it all over again, he would choose to strictly differentiate Binance.com (international site) from Binance US (U.S. site) from the start and completely block U.S. users. He admitted that despite U.S. users previously accounting for 30% of his user base, Binance could still survive and grow without that segment, thanks to the early strong profitability of cryptocurrency exchanges. This experience has made him more cautious; he now consults lawyers more in his business, though he doesn't go so far as to have every tweet legally vetted.

Regarding the process of obtaining a presidential pardon in the U.S., CZ clarified that there was absolutely no monetary transaction involved, and pointed out that his case itself has particularity and a background of the times (U.S. shifting to support crypto). He disclosed that some U.S. competitors had lobbied against his pardon, fearing Binance's return to the U.S. market. Ultimately, the pardon cleared his "felon" label and significantly alleviated the "suitability" scrutiny he faced when obtaining financial licenses globally.

At the end of the interview, when asked what kind of legacy he wanted to leave, CZ once again emphasized the insights he gained from prison: "I actually don't care much about my legacy. What I care about is that when I am old and bedridden, looking back on my life, I believe I have done my best to make a positive contribution to this world. I want to make the world a slightly better place than when I arrived. I don't want to be the best; I just want to know that I have done my best."

免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。