Binance's CEO said 'free speech is very hard to define'

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has weighed in on the contentious free speech debate raging on social media. The company is one of a few that has pledged $500 million to "free speech absolutist" Elon Musk's bid to take Twitter private. Zhao stated his support for the cause in a lengthy interview published this week by Bloomberg.

"We want to support free speech," Zhao said before Bloomberg asked if he meant his company's decision to sue Forbes for defamation over a report alleging Binance was skirting regulations in 2020. (The suit was later abandoned.)

Binance hired lawyer Charles Harder, who is best known for collaborating with billionaire investor Peter Thiel in his fight against Gawker Media, which eventually bankrupted the publication.

"Free speech is very difficult to define," Zhao said in an interview, claiming that the article is incorrect. "I've never had a conversation with Charles Harder. It was handled by our team."

Musk's acquisition of Twitter was motivated by his belief in free speech. The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX founder has been vocal about his desire to relax Twitter's policies on harmful content. The platform and its moderation decisions have sparked a culture war, with conservative figures accusing Big Tech of stifling free speech by flagging and removing posts that violate their rules.