Our Planet Crypto correspondent interviewed CZ last year. In case you have forgotten, CZ is not to be confused with a Bond Villain, but recent disappearances from his opaque organisation prompted our intrepid interviewer again. He met CZ on his continuously-circumnavigating-the-world not-ever-having-to-go-into-port ship.
PLANET CRYPTO: Nice to see you again.
CHANGPENG ZHAO: I was not expecting to see you again Mr. Crypto. I don’t like surprises. But I will be courteous as ever. I will have my faithful manservant Blockhead prepare you a shaken but not stirred Martini.
PC: Oh. Jolly thoughtful of you.
CZ: What do you want to ask me? I thought we had dealt with your meddling, sorry I mean enquiries, last time.
PC: Ok, well, a lot of people are saying your organization is weakening and you are losing your personnel at an alarming rate.
CZ: It is perfectly normal for any organisation to have turnover of employees. We find we need to eliminate , I mean let go, some of them from time to time. We are, of course, a legitimate financial organization operating with high standards. We do not retain people who fail to live up to our standards.
PC: We of course understand that companies do have staff turnover but it seems that yours has reached very high levels, and it is your most senior executives that are leaving. Is this because your global revenue is down so sharply? Or because you are now a wanted man?
CZ: This organisation does not tolerate failure Mr Crypto. Very few of my senior henchmen, sorry executives, have left of their own free will. If we had a pool of piranhas, we would be the first to introduce that to those who fail to live up to expectations, but of course we don’t.
PC: Oh, right. We have also heard rumours to the effect that some of your ex-employees might be co-operating with various government agencies that have accused you of insider trading and fraud.
CZ: Haha; that is laughable Mr Crypto. We are not involved with any such things and I am not aware of any ex-henchmen, sorry employees, who made it through the protective laser fields around our vessel.
PC: Speaking of your vessel, I think it is listing in rather alarming way.
CZ: Haha Mr Crypto you would be funny if you were not so persistently irritating. My vessel will change into a submarine/underwater city at the push of a button. Goodbye Mr Crypto, I hope for your sake we do not meet again…does the name FTX mean nothing to you? Hahahahahaha.