| Source: Reuters/Getty Images/AFP; Edited by CCN.com
By CCN.com: The CEO of Binance, the world’s largest bitcoin exchange, is courting Elon Musk to hop on the crypto bandwagon by teasing a proprietary SpaceX cryptocurrency.
Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao made the pitch on Twitter, where he quipped:
“SpaceXcoin, Elon Musk. Space exploration shall be funded globally using crypto. Investors shall have their names inked on the blockchain.”
Zhao has been called the “Mark Zuckerberg of Crypto” for his pioneering efforts with Binance, which rocketed become the No. 1 cryptocurrency exchange two years after it launched in 2017.
Zhao earned the moniker from the hosts of the popular podcast Coin Talk. They compared CZ to Zuckerberg, who mainstreamed social networking.
Space exploration shall be funded globally using #crypto . Investors shall have their names inked on the blockchain.
— CZ 🔶 Binance (@cz_binance) May 1, 2019
For several years now, crypto shills have been trying to woo the Tesla and SpaceX CEO on Twitter. Presumably, they hope that having Musk — whose net worth tops $20 billion — onboard would lend legitimacy to the nascent industry.
On April 29, Musk caused a frenzy when he nonchalantly tweeted the word “Ethereum.” Minutes later, Musk jokingly followed up by tweeting “jk (just kidding).”
Not surprisingly, crypto bros immediately pounced, urging Musk to buy bitcoin, Tron, and every other cryptocurrency imaginable.
At one point, Musk asked Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin to explain what can be developed on the Ethereum blockchain. Buterin stepped to the mic and delivered his 13 best suggestions.
jk
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 30, 2019
What should be developed on Ethereum?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 30, 2019
Despite being an avowed technophile, Elon Musk does not own crypto, as CCN.com reported.
“I literally own zero cryptocurrency, apart from .25 BTC that a friend sent me many years ago,” Musk confessed on Twitter in February 2018.
Not sure. I let @jack know, but it’s still going. I literally own zero cryptocurrency, apart from .25 BTC that a friend sent me many years ago.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2018
In February 2019, Musk warmed up a bit and remarked that bitcoin’s structure “is quite brilliant.” But Musk admires crypto from a distance, despite the wishes of the crypto community, which is desperate to claim him as one of their own.
In April 2019, Musk caused another frenzy when he joked that “cryptocurrency is my safe word .”
The South African mogul was reacting to a Twitter user who joked that he’s annoyed because Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright isn’t suing him for denying that Wright is Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious inventor of bitcoin.
Cryptocurrency is my safe word
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 13, 2019
Wright, a computer scientist, has repeatedly claimed that he’s Nakamoto but has yet to offer verifiable proof.
In April 2019, Wright sued crypto podcaster Peter McCormack, saying McCormack defamed him when he called him “a fraud” and said he was lying.
Wright is seeking damages of £100,000 (or roughly $130,000) in his libel lawsuit. That’s not a significant amount for such a lawsuit.
‘Bitcoin Creator’ Craig Wright Drags Critics to Court to ‘Prove’ He’s Satoshi https://t.co/Z4nkNGitaQ
— CCN – Capital & Celeb News (@CapitalAndCeleb) April 18, 2019
On May 1, Wright slammed this website, CCN.com, for our coverage of his claims that he’s bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto.
Satoshi Nakamoto v. ‘Fake News’: Craig Wright Lashes Out at Crypto Media https://t.co/y6HhV6fFUR
— CCN – Capital & Celeb News (@CapitalAndCeleb) May 1, 2019
In November 2017, Musk denied rumors that he was Satoshi Nakamoto. The speculation erupted after a former SpaceX intern wrote that “Satoshi is probably Elon.”
On his 2017 blog post , former SpaceX intern Sahil Gupta posited that:
Gupta reasoned that it only makes sense that Musk is Satoshi because “Elon is a self-taught polymath” who has repeatedly innovated across fields by reading books on a subject and applying the knowledge. He explained:
“It’s how he built rockets, invented the Hyperloop (which he released to the world as a paper), and could have invented Bitcoin.”
“Elon has said publicly he doesn’t own any bitcoin, which is consistent with a ‘Good Satoshi’ who deleted his private keys.”
“Elon – if you are Satoshi, thank you. If not, well, thanks for the Tesla Roadster.”
Musk responded to the rumors by denying that he invented bitcoin.
P.S. – Musk isn’t the only entrepreneur in his family.
Elon Musk isn’t the only entrepreneur on his family tree. Here's a look at the rest if the members in the Musk clan. https://t.co/KhFlM5MAto pic.twitter.com/PEHRoiL8uV
— CNBC (@CNBC) May 1, 2019
Samantha Chang is a New York City-based financial editor who writes about crypto and business at CCN. She is a law school grad and an alum of the University of Pennsylvania. You can reach her on Twitter at Samantha Chang or email her at [email protected]