Binance CEO Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao today clashed with disgraced founder of collapsed crypto exchange FTX Sam Bankman-Fried on Twitter.
In the Friday spat, the Binance boss said that “no one won” in response to Bankman-Fried’s claim that CZ was a liar and ultimately benefited from FTX’s collapse.
This is the second time this week the CEO of the world’s biggest crypto exchange has called out Bankman-Fried—known as SBF—on Twitter.
On Tuesday, CZ called the ex-FTX CEO a “master manipulator” and “one of the greatest fraudsters in history.”
You won, @cz_binance.
There’s no need to lie, now, about the buyout.
We initiated conversations around buying you out, and we decided to do it because it was important for our business.
And while I was frustrated with your ‘negotiation’ tactics, I chose to still do it.
— SBF (@SBF_FTX) December 9, 2022
Today, alluding to the investment relationship Binance and FTX had (which ended in 2021), SBF wrote: “You threatened to walk at the last minute if we didn’t kick in an extra ~$75m.”
“We did it anyway because this just made us feel more confident we didn’t want Binance on our cap table. But again, none of this is necessary. You won. Why are you lying about this now?”
CZ responded with, “No one won.” He said that Binance pulled out of its investment in 2021 because it was “increasingly uncomfortable” with the relationship Alameda Research, a trading desk also founded by SBF, had with sister company FTX. CZ claimed “Sam was so unhinged” when they pulled out and “threatened” to make them pay.
Sam, not that it matters now. You also can’t force us to sell if we don’t want to. Also, we have the veto right to block any further fundraising you were doing. Never used or mentioned it. It was never a competition or fight. No one won. 1/2
— CZ 🔶 Binance (@cz_binance) December 9, 2022
He also accused SBF of using his network of diverse investments “to manipulate public opinion, including attacking me and others in the industry.”
FTX went bankrupt last month after allegedly using client money to make risky investment bets through Alameda Research. Though SBF founded Alameda in 2019, he claims that he stepped away from day-to-day operations in 2021.
After the implosion of FTX’s FTT token and a bank run on the exchange, the company was forced to admit it did not hold one-to-one reserves of customer assets. This caused a freezing of withdrawals and subsequent bankruptcy filing.
The U.S. Department of Justice, the SEC, and the CTFC are all investigating the exchange’s collapse—but no criminal charges have been brought forward, and a court has yet to determine if SBF was indeed a fraudster like CZ claims.
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