Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, founder of Binance, has publicly commented on the reduced social media activity of Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, attributing it to toxic criticism over Ether's (ETH) price performance. In a post on X, CZ stated that the harsh backlash from community members complaining about ETH price drops has led to Buterin becoming "much quieter" on the platform.
CZ labeled this silence "a net negative for the ETH and crypto community," arguing that it deprives the ecosystem of a vital leadership voice and could erode trust. He connected this to a broader issue of toxicity and FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) within the crypto space, noting that leaders often face unwarranted blame for market downturns.
In a separate but strategically significant move, CZ announced that Binance will convert its entire $1 billion Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU) from stablecoins to Bitcoin over the next 30 days. This decision, made as Bitcoin traded below $82,000, is framed as a move to support market stability and demonstrate long-term confidence in Bitcoin's value. The SAFU fund is designed to protect users in the event of security breaches.
Concurrently, tensions between CZ and other industry leaders have surfaced. Following Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko's warning of a potential 18-month bear market extending to mid-2027, CZ unfollowed Yakovenko on X. The unfollow occurred after Yakovenko retweeted a post from OKX founder Star Xu accusing Binance of "irresponsible marketing" contributing to the October 2025 market crash. Yakovenko had suggested an extended downturn could be constructive by reducing speculation and allowing developers to focus on building.
