CZ’s memoir hits Kindle
Binance founder CZ promoted his new memoir Freedom of Money and, according to social reporting in the last 48 hours, the book reached No.4 on Amazon Kindle bestsellers within three days of release. (x.com)
Changpeng Zhao’s new memoir, *Freedom of Money*, climbed to No. 4 among all Amazon Kindle books within days of its April 8 release, according to Amazon rankings and social posts cited by Forbes. (forbes.com) Amazon’s listing shows the e-book is priced at $9.99 and carries the full subtitle *A Memoir of Protecting Users, Resilience, and the Founding of Binance*. The same listing labels it a No. 1 bestseller in Amazon’s Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies category. (amazon.com) A press release distributed on April 8 said the Kindle edition was available immediately, with paperback and hardcover editions expected “in the coming days” and an Audible version to follow. Amazon’s paperback page lists April 8, 2026, as the publication date. (prnewswire.com) (amazon.com) The book arrives as Zhao is still one of the most recognizable figures from crypto’s last boom-and-bust cycle. He founded Binance in 2017, and Amazon’s description says the exchange grew into a platform with 300 million users. (amazon.com) It also arrives after Binance’s November 2023 settlement with United States authorities. The company agreed to pay more than $4 billion, and Zhao pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money-laundering program, then stepped down as chief executive. (justice.gov) (treasury.gov) A federal judge in Seattle sentenced Zhao in April 2024 to four months in prison. Reuters reported at the time that prosecutors had sought a longer sentence, while Zhao’s lawyers argued for probation. (reuters.com) Forbes reported on April 11 that Zhao wrote part of the memoir after that prison term and is using the book to tell his version of Binance’s rise, the Federal Trade Commission-style scrutiny crypto firms faced, and his legal battle in the United States. Bloomberg separately reported that the memoir details his account of the federal investigation and his resignation. (forbes.com) (bloomberg.com) The release has already triggered fresh industry blowback. Crypto publications and MSN reported that passages in the book reopened a dispute between Zhao and OKX founder Star Xu, who said Zhao’s account of their earlier dealings was false. (msn.com) (cryptotimes.io) The early Kindle ranking does not settle how the memoir will land outside crypto’s core audience, but it does show Zhao still commands attention after the settlement, the sentence, and his exit from Binance’s top job. (forbes.com)
