Binance’s Changpeng Zhao blasts Indian firm 5ireChain for ‘misusing’ selfie, ‘Didn’t even chat…’ | Company Business News

Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the CEO of Binance, publicly criticised the Indian blockchain firm 5ireChain for misusing a selfie taken with their CEO, Pratik Gauri. The controversy erupted when 5ireChain shared a photo of the two at an event on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), captioned “What’s cooking?” alongside a handshake emoji, suggesting a potential collaboration. However, this post was swiftly deleted after CZ flagged it.

Zhao wasted no time in clarifying the situation, stating, “This is exactly how NOT to use a selfie with me. Nothing is cooking. Didn’t even have a chat. Just a selfie at an event.”

Binance CEO Zhao’s response highlighted that there had been no discussions or agreements regarding any partnership between Binance and 5ireChain.

Later on, another X user replied to Zhao’s tweet and wrote: “Selfie with CZ should not be used as promotion. Instead focus on building! @cz_binance”

Replying to this, Zhao said: “You should be alarmed if a person/project uses a selfie with someone else as promotional material. 😂Posting selfies when I meet someone I like/admire is normal. But I would never use that to promote my project, unless with explicit permission.”

5ireChain Issues Clarification After Backlash

Following Zhao’s public disapproval, 5ireChain quickly removed the original post and issued a new statement to clarify their intentions. The updated caption read: “Note: This post is not intended to imply any collaboration or partnership between our Founder & CEO, @pratikgauri, and @cz_binance. It is purely an appreciation post from our founder to recognize CZ’s unparalleled contributions to the blockchain and crypto industry. Truly a legend.”