A major public feud has erupted between the founders of two crypto exchange giants, with Binance's Changpeng Zhao (CZ) and OKX's Star Xu trading sharp accusations. The renewed conflict signals heightened tensions at the highest levels of the digital asset industry, potentially impacting market sentiment and competitive dynamics.
The renewed conflict began after Binance’s founder published his autobiography, Freedom of Money. In response, Xu posted a series of sharp messages on social media platform X, accusing Zhao of spreading “purely false information” and challenging his personal and professional integrity.
Xu’s comments also disputed claims Zhao included in the book—particularly a story involving Huobi founder Li Lin. Zhao’s autobiography says that Li Lin told him in 2025 that Li had been arrested because of a whistleblower report allegedly tied to Xu.
Xu quickly pushed back, denying that any such report was made and insisting he never contacted authorities regarding Li Lin. He argued that while people file complaints in the crypto industry, those complaints don’t typically result in arrests.
The clash also revisited an earlier dispute dating back to 2014 and 2015, when Zhao was a senior executive at OKCoin, the company that would later become OKX. At the center of that older disagreement was a commercial arrangement involving early Bitcoin investor Roger Ver.
Xu says OKCoin accused Zhao of fabricating contract versions in a way that introduced a six-month termination clause. According to Xu’s posts, the disagreement originally hinged on the accuracy and authenticity of the contract terms—and the question of whether evidence had been altered.
Zhao has repeatedly denied those allegations, and in his autobiography, he suggested that any evidence used against him could have been manipulated. Xu, however, claims to have new material supporting his position.
He reposted what he described as a notarized video, saying it proves contract forgery. Xu also referenced the passage of time, stating that contract falsification evidence had already been made public on the internet 12 years earlier. In his comments, Xu called Zhao “a habitual liar” who “never changes their nature.”
But while the OKX founder has been arguing the case in detail online, CZ responded in a separate social media post dismissing the attacks as false claims—at least initially.
He wrote that he typically ignores such accusations, but added, “You can apologize now.” Binance’s former CEO then made a personal and legal offer, saying that he would not post any legal documents online out of respect for his ex-wife and privacy.
CZ’s post also introduced the wager that has caught attention across crypto circles. He said he would be “happy to bet $1 billion USD (or any number you choose)” that he is officially divorced—“way before today.”
The Binance founder suggested that if Xu agrees, lawyers could validate the divorce agreement and called the process “dead simple.” CZ said the bet offer would remain valid permanently, “whenever you feel ready,” but added that if Xu does not accept within 24 hours, it would indicate who has misrepresented the public.
Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com
Log in to Reply
Log in to comment your thoughtsComments