CZ: Why I Left OKCoin at That Time

On February 10, 2026, Binance founder CZ recalled in an exclusive interview with The All-In Podcast that he left OKCoin in early 2015 after a few months due to cultural differences.

Following his departure, a year after the Mt. Gox collapse, he teamed up with former colleagues to found a Bitcoin exchange in Tokyo to fill the market vacuum. Serving as CEO and handling fundraising, CZ used his personal savings to pay the team's salaries while taking no pay himself, marking a pivotal step prior to the birth of Binance.