CZ: Left OKCoin Early Due to Cultural and Value Mismatch, Stayed Only 8 Months

Odaily News CZ shared his early career experiences with Chamath Palihapitiya on the All-In podcast, detailing his work at Blockchain.info (now Blockchain.com) and OKCoin, as well as his deep understanding of the Bitcoin industry and value-based choices during those formative years.

Joining Blockchain.info: CZ stated that the team had only three members at the time, with him serving as the Vice President of Technology. The team later expanded to 18 people, but a management restructuring initiated by the CFO led to a shift in company culture, prompting several developers, including CZ, to leave voluntarily. He emphasized learning about remote work and the concept of receiving salaries in Bitcoin at Blockchain.info, as well as how to achieve rapid user growth to approximately 2 million through "guerrilla" marketing tactics, such as a 150-page thread on BitcoinTalk.org.

Joining OKCoin: After leaving Blockchain.info, He Yi contacted CZ to recruit him for OKCoin. The initial offer was 5% equity, but BTC China offered 10%, which prompted OKCoin to match the terms within three hours. CZ ultimately chose to join OKCoin in Beijing as the CTO, taking on greater business responsibilities.

Reason for Leaving OKCoin: CZ revealed that the primary reason was a mismatch in culture and values. For example, "It was mainly a mismatch in culture and values; there were some practices I couldn't agree with. A very simple example: when they ran promotions or fee discount campaigns, the advertisements made it seem like everyone could enjoy them, but in reality, you had to actively apply to get them; they weren't automatically applied. Details like that made me uncomfortable." CZ decided to leave in early 2015.