Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, former CEO of Binance, revealed the name of his dog, Broccoli, today. A race has begun for BROCCOLI meme coins while he remains an impartial observer.
CZ is directly engaging with the meme coin space after recently criticizing it, but he doesn’t stand to profit from it. The BROCCOLI tokens are more of a social experiment for him, with unpredictable results.
Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, former CEO of Binance, is predicting a good year for crypto. Since his release from prison, he rejoined a Binance spinoff and has been an active participant in the community.
However, the meme coin craze has caused the Binance founder some consternation. He unintentionally pumped a test token ‘TST’ in an educational video, and things escalated from there.
CZ subsequently criticized the meme coin industry, claiming that Binance’s listing protocols were flawed. The other co-founder, Yi He, defended the company’s practices, and CZ’s name is getting traction in the meme space.
Yesterday, a token based on his dog briefly reached a $14 billion market cap before crashing. CZ responded by revealing the dog’s name – Broccoli.
“I am just posting my dog’s picture and name. I am NOT issuing a meme coin myself. It’s up to the community to do that (or not). I will likely interact with a few of the more popular meme coins on BNB Chain (BSC). The BNB Foundation may provide rewards for the top memes on the BNB Chain, giving LP support or other rewards,” CZ claimed.
CZ posted Broccoli’s identity as a social experiment; if people wish to create tokens for his dog, they should at least use the dog’s real picture. Subsequently, a few BROCCOLI tokens have emerged, some seeing dramatic spikes.
CZ, however, will strictly serve as an impartial viewer for the time being.
In some ways, CZ and the BROCCOLI tokens are reminiscent of another meme-related social media event. Last month, entrepreneur Mark Cuban proposed launching a meme coin, but only to mock the industry.
CZ’s actions here are less outwardly critical but nonetheless seem like a lighthearted way to poke fun at this aggressive market.
So far, it doesn’t seem like his opinions of meme coins have actually changed much. However, the BROCCOLI tokens are an amusing spectacle, and CZ claimed he will probably interact with the most successful projects.
Even if this does change one man’s personal opinion, it isn’t likely to have a lasting impact on the broad market. Right now, it’s all in good fun.