Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao has announced he will be stepping down from his role amid pleading guilty to charges by United States regulators.
The crypto community across the world has reacted in different ways.
The crypto community on social media has sparked mixed reactions online after Binance CEO CZ has stepped down, following legal action from US regulators.
Popular crypto trading analyst, Ran Neuner, asked his 727,400 followers a hypothetical if they were in CZ’s shoes themselves:
“If you were CZ and you could go back in time knowing that the penalty is $4,3bn and a maximum 18 month sentence, would you have served US customers, violated AML etc to build the biggest exchange in the world and land up here where he did today?”
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Meanwhile, Lady of Crypto shared with her 427,700 followers that CZ has been a positive for the industry, despite the recent news:
“But as far as actions go, CZ has been a net positive for crypto adoption and recognition. We would not be where we are without him. So for that, I am eternally grateful to the guy and I’m sad to see him go. I trust that Binance is in good hands and I hope CZ finds other ways to positively impact our industry.”
Meanwhile, Layah Heilpern expressed sadness towards the news, declaring it an “end of an era.”
Heilpern further stated that she has nothing but “admiration and respect” for CZ, after all the help he has given her in developing her career in the crypto industry.
CZ Legal Battles In Recent Times
Earlier today, the US Department of Justice reported that CZ has agreed to step down.
However, the announcement comes as part of a reported $4.3 billion settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in which Binance admitted to being used to “funnel money to Hamas.”
Meanwhile, CZ has faced a number of legal battles in recent times. As CEO of Binance, he was entangled in the lawsuit alleging that Binance listed unregistered securities as crypto and paid social media influencers to promote these digital assets.
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