Key Takeaways

CZ says protecting time is harder than protecting money at scale

He highlights the difficulty of declining meetings, even when they add little value

CZ says learning to be selective — even at the risk of seeming impolite — is essential for leadership

Changpeng Zhao, Binance Founder has said that time management, rather than strategy or capital, has been the most difficult principle for him to follow while building Binance in a highly volatile and fast-moving environment.

Responding to a question about leadership principles inspired by Ray Dalio, CZ said there was no single rule that stood out, noting that he has written about dozens of principles over the years. However, he pointed to the challenge of protecting time as the most consistently difficult in practice.

Time Is the Only Non-Scalable Resource

CZ said that while teams can be expanded and tasks delegated, time remains fixed.

“Time is more precious than money,” he said. “You only get 24 hours a day, and you can’t scale that.”

He explained that leadership roles naturally attract meetings, requests, and informal conversations that can quickly consume large amounts of time, often without clear outcomes.

The Difficulty of Saying No

According to CZ, one of the hardest aspects of time management is declining meetings — especially when requests come through personal or professional connections.

He cited common situations where senior figures ask for meetings on behalf of friends or associates, placing leaders in a position where refusal can feel impolite or socially uncomfortable.

“Being impolite to save time is one of the harder things to do,” CZ said, adding that he has become more aggressive about protecting his time, though the discomfort does not fully disappear.

Meetings Are Often Undervalued in Cost

CZ also highlighted what he sees as a broader cultural issue: people often undervalue the cost of someone else’s time.

He noted that individuals may be hesitant to ask for money, but are far more comfortable requesting lengthy meetings without clear agendas or defined time limits.

“Very few people say, ‘I want five minutes of your time, and here are the three things I want to discuss,’” he said.