- Changpeng Zhao in his book “Freedom of Money” revisits old disputes and denies forgery claims.
- Star Xu, founder and CEO of OKX (formerly known as OKCoin) slams back and calls CZ a habitual liar.
- Strong statements came in from both the sides but no new verifiable evidence has emerged.
Changpeng Zhao (CZ), former CEO of Binance has reignited a decade-old rivalry with OKX (formerly known as OKCoin) founder Star Xu through revelation in his new autobiography “Freedom of Money”. The book details explosive accusations involving whistleblowers, arrests and contract forgeries from their early days in crypto.
Star Xu, founder and CEO of OKX, fired back on social media X today, April 8, 2026 and labelled CZ as a habitual liar. What followed was a detailed counterattack, which has been backed by archived evidence, reigniting one of crypto’s oldest disputes.
CZ’s Autobiography Denies Forgery Claims
In CZ’s book, CZ addresses the controversial 2015 episode, which involved a disputed Bitcoin.com contract that was linked to early crypto investor Roger Ver. The memoir firmly denies accusations that CZ forged or altered contract versions during his time as CTO at OKCoin Exchange.
CZ also revisits broader tensions from that period. He calls the fallout as a clash of vision and leadership and not of misconduct. According to CZ, the narratives that were floating around at that time were exaggerated and misrepresented, attempting to close a chapter that has lingered for more than a decade now.
Even though CZ tried to settle the whole issue, the claims now appear to have reopened the old wounds.
Star Xu Fires Back: “Did Not Want To Revisit This”
Star Xu posted on X and stated that he did not want to dig in the past but was compelled to respond after being mentioned in the book. In his X post, he labelled CZ as a “habitual liar” and mentioned that the facts from 2015 remain unchanged. Star then resurfaced previously published materials, which included a notarized video and archived posts, to challenge CZ’s version of events.
His response signaled that this was not just a disagreement over memory but it was more like a direct challenge to credibility.
2015 Evidence Resurfaces: The QQ Video
Star then shared a notarized YouTube video which was originally released back in 2015. The footage allegedly documents QQ chat logs which shows Zhao sending multiple versions of Bitcoin.com contract.
According to the timeline presented:
0:00-1:00: Notary establishes internet connection and logs into an accountant’s QQ account.
1:26-1:35: CZ’s chat appears, which shows two attachments, V7 and V8 contract (dated December 16, 2014).
1:55-2:15: The v8 contract is opened which shows a six-month termination clause.
2:22: v7 is checked for comparison.
2:54-3:02: CZ’s passport (redacted) and public QQ account details are shown.
Star Xu with this post argued that this video proves that Zhao himself sent the disputed contract version. He also mocked Zhao’s claims that his QQ account was hacked, calling it unlikely.
OKCoin’s Allegation Revisited
Star later on also added a Reddit post, which strengthened his argument by pointing to OKCoin’s rebuttal. The post listed several accusations against CZ during his short term there. The claims included CZ altering the Bitcoin.com contract, deleting contracts to hide evidence, misrepresenting his departure from Blockchain.info, contributing little technical work as CTO, and engaging in trading practices that may have broken company rules.
OKCoin also said that it withheld his final salary due to unresolved issues like ownership transfers and unsigned documents. CZ has denied all these claims and stated that all of this was a gimmick to harm his reputation.
A Decade-Old Rivalry Back in Focus
The renewed clash points out toward the fact that unresolved disputes from crypto’s early days continue to shape the present narratives. Something that began as a short-lived professional relationship during China’s crypto boom has now evolved into a long-running rivalry between two of the industry’s most influential people.
Even though the book is trying to present CZ’s side of the story, Star Xu’s response underscores that the opposing side remains firmly unconvinced.
As the debate plays out online, the crypto community is revisiting an early chapter shaped by conflicting claims, disputed evidence, and personal tensions, now heightened by the influence both figures have today.
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