Changpeng Zhao Denies He Would Launch His Own Dog-Themed Memecoin

Following days of anticipation from fans, Zhao, commonly known as "CZ," clarified that he just wanted to share a photo of his dog Broccoli and will not introduce a memecoin.

Changpeng Zhao, the former CEO of the world’s largest crypto exchange Binance, is not launching his own dog-themed memecoin, he denied on Thursday, ending online speculation that had started earlier in the week after he mentioned having a pet dog.

Following days of anticipation from fans, Zhao, commonly known as “CZ,” clarified that he just wanted to share a photo of his dog Broccoli and will not introduce a memecoin.

“I am just posting my dog's picture and name,” Zhao wrote on X. “I am NOT issuing a meme coin myself. I will leave it up to the community to make one and I will interact with the more popular ones in the BNB chain.”

Since yesterday, people have debuted dozens of memecoins in honor of Broccoli. The most popular one, $BROCCOLI, has attracted a $140 million market cap—and is trading at 14 cents—since launching 24 hours ago, according to crypto data platform CoinGecko.

Zhao sparked speculation about a dog-themed memecoin after responding to a post on Wednesday that asked if the former Binance CEO had a pet.

“Yes, not a Shiba Inu, but a Belgian Malinois,” he wrote on X, referring to the Shiba Inu-themed crypto Dogecoin.

Chatter erupted across X among fans asking for Zhao to share a photo and reveal the name of the dog, seemingly in order to brand a memecoin. But they were forced to wait as Zhao delayed responding until Thursday, concerned about how the memecoin frenzy would play out.

“How does this work? I share my dog's name and picture, and then people create memecoins? How do you know which one is 'official'? or does that even matter,” he wrote on X.

But memecoins emerged anyway as fans speculated on the dog’s name, sending tokens like $CLEO, $BROWNIE and $PERRY to multi-million dollar market caps on Binance’s BNB chain.

Zhao finally posted a photo of the dog and revealed its name on Thursday.

“If you had asked me before last night, I would never have imagined that Broccoli would be part of the blockchain ecosystem. But here we are. There is never a dull day in crypto.

"I am just posting my dog's picture and name. I am NOT issuing a meme coin myself. I will leave it up to the community to make one and I will interact with the more popular ones in the BNB chain. DM me if you make one and I like it, I might even post it!"

After announcing his departure from Binance on Wednesday, the former CEO has kept a low profile on social media, only making brief appearances to share personal updates with fans.

After a fan asked if he had any pets, the former CEO replied that he has a dog, which he did not identify at the time.

"Yes, not a Shiba-Inu, but a Belgian Malinois," he wrote, in response to the fan.

The post quickly sparked a frenzy among fans, who began speculating on the dog's breed and name, in anticipation of a dog-themed memecoin.

"Please tell us the dog's name so we can make a memecoin," one fan wrote.

"Is it a girl or a boy? I need to know for the memecoin!" another fan added.

Fans also began making their own memecoins in honor of the dog, with some creating tokens like $BROCCOLI and $CLEO, which quickly gained millions of dollars in market cap on Thursday.

The post also comes after President Trump launched his own memecoin last month, which quickly became a hit among fans.

Despite retiring from Binance, Zhao will remain chairman of the board of the exchange's holding company, and will continue to serve as a strategic advisor to the exchange. He will also be focusing on his own investment and incubation activities through his Web3 fund, which he launched earlier this year.

"I have decided to step down as CEO of Binance, and hand over the reins to someone who can devote more time and attention to managing the company in this rapidly changing environment," Zhao said in a statement on Wednesday.

"It has been an incredible journey leading Binance to become the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such an amazing team and community to build something truly special."

Zhao's departure comes at a time of rapid growth and change for the cryptocurrency industry. Binance has become a dominant force in the industry, and is now one of the largest and most successful cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.

Under Zhao's leadership, Binance has expanded rapidly, launching new products and services in order to meet the evolving needs of cryptocurrency users. The exchange has also become a major player in the decentralized finance (DeFi) movement.

"I am excited to see what the future holds for Binance and the cryptocurrency industry as a whole," Zhao said. "I