Oct 30, 2025
The World’s Youngest Self-Made Billionaires Are A Trio Of 22-Year-Old AI Founders
With a new $10 billion valuation for their AI recruiting startup Mercor, the founders are the youngest tech billionaires ever.
PROFILE
Changpeng Zhao
$82.6B
Real Time Net Worth
as of 11/4/25
Reflects change since 5 pm ET of prior trading day.
Photo by Yong Li Xuan/The Straits Times/Newscom
From the Editor
- Changpeng Zhao, who goes by CZ, is the founder and former CEO of Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world.
- The Chinese-Canadian coder cut his teeth building high-frequency trading systems for Wall Street's flash boys.
- Zhao founded Binance in 2017 and still owns an estimated 90% of the exchange plus a stash of its BNB tokens.
- In November 2023, Zhao stepped down as Binance's CEO as part of a sweeping settlement with U.S. authorities.
- Zhao pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program, paid a $50 million fine and served four months in prison.
- He was pardoned in October 2025 by Donald Trump, whose crypto businesses have had extensive dealings with Binance.
Wealth History
HOVER TO REVEAL NET WORTH BY YEAR
Forbes Lists
Personal Stats
- Age
- 48
- Source of Wealth
- Cryptocurrency exchange, Self Made
- Residence
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Citizenship
- Canada
Did you know
In Their Own Words
We need to respect the market, with a level of caution too. It goes up and down in cycles. And especially the fact that it doesn't always make sense.
Changpeng Zhao
Related People & Companies
More on Forbes
Oct 27, 2025
B2B Payment Digitization Stalled At 22%: How CFOs Can Break Through
The stagnation isn't about technology limitations. The tools exist. The business case is clear. So why can't we break through?
Oct 22, 2025
AEW Dynamite Results: Takeaways From October 22, 2025
Following WrestleDream, AEW Dynamite delivered a strong follow-up featuring title matches and in-ring segments to promote the next pay-per-view.
Oct 22, 2025
NYT Mini Crossword Clues And Answers For Wednesday, October 22
Looking for help with today's NYT Mini Crossword puzzle? Here are some hints and answers for the puzzle.
Oct 21, 2025
Today’s Wordle #1586 Hints And Answer For Wednesday, October 22
Looking for help with today's New York Times Wordle? Here are some expert hints, clues and commentary to help you solve today's Wordle and sharpen your guessing game.
Oct 21, 2025
How To Solve Today’s NYT Pips: Walkthrough And Solutions For Wednesday, October 22
Looking for help with today's New York Times Pips? We'll walk you through today's puzzle and help you match dominoes to tiles.
Oct 21, 2025
NYT Connections Sports Hints Today: Wednesday, October 22 Clues And Answers
Looking for some help with today's NYT Connections Sports Edition? Some hints and the answers for today's game are right here to help keep your streak alive. Go team!
Oct 21, 2025
‘Quordle’ Hints Today: Wednesday, October 22 Clues, Answers
Looking for some help with today’s Quordle words? Some hints and the answers are right here to give you a hand.
Oct 21, 2025
NYT Connections Hints Today: Wednesday, October 22 Clues, Answers (#864)
Looking for today's NYT Connections hints? Some help and the answers for today's game are right here to help keep your streak alive.
Oct 21, 2025
NYT Strands Hints Today: Wednesday, October 22 Spangram, Answers (Catch All)
Looking for some help with today's NYT Strands? An extra hint and the answers are right here to help you finish the grid and keep your streak intact.
Oct 17, 2025
Al Capone Found Guilty Of 22 Counts Of Tax Evasion On This Day In 1931
Capone, who reportedly boasted, “They can’t collect legal taxes from illegal money,” was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Oct. 17, 1931, for failing to file tax returns.
Oct 8, 2025
MacArthur Foundation Names The 22 Winners Of Its 2025 Genius Grants
The MacArthur Foundation has named the 22 winners of the 2025 MacArthur Fellowships, one of the nation’s most prestigious awards for intellectual & artistic achievement.
Oct 6, 2025
The Best Trail Running Shoes: Testing 22 Pairs Over Hundreds Of Miles
The best trail running shoes are supportive, durable and grippy. We tested 22 pairs of shoes from Hoka, On, Brooks and many more. Here are our top recommendations.
Oct 1, 2025
Government Shutdown Imperils Obamacare Tax Credits For 22 Million
The federal government shutdown imperils the extension of Obamacare subsidies for more than 22 million Americans, which could make their healthcare much less affordable.
Sep 23, 2025
Raising Cane's: The Origin Story Of This $22 Billion Empire
In his early 20s, Todd Graves, dismissed by banks as a naive kid with a bad idea, turned his fanatic vision for chicken fingers into Raising Cane's. Now, Graves is worth $22 billion, and with over 900 locations, Raising Cane’s is one of America's fastest-growing fast-food chains.
Sep 21, 2025
‘Quordle’ Hints And Answers For Monday, September 22
Looking for some help with today’s Quordle words? Some hints and the answers are right here to give you a hand.