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Going to prison is not exactly a fun thing; it can change a person completely, and if someone returns to society after serving their sentence, they are never truly back, being often shunned or ostracized. 

Although he was behind the bars of a federal prison for almost 26 years, Michael G. Santos, the founder of Prison Professors, never gave up and decided to work on himself. Today, Santos is an advocate for criminal justice reform, helping those in prison to mend their ways and get back to society. 

In his daily mission to uplift justice-impacted individuals, he crossed paths with a true icon of the cryptocurrency world — a trailblazing former CEO of Binance who helped shape the very foundations of the crypto industry: Changpeng Zhao, known by many simply as CZ, who was serving his time in prison after pleading guilty for violating the US laws against money laundering. 

During an exclusive interview with The Byteline, Santos, sharing his experience of meeting Zhao in prison, claimed: “The first time I talked to CZ, he asked about the fee to work with me. I said, ‘There’s no fee for you to work with me. You’ve done so much for the world. It’s an honor for me to try and help you.’”

How Santos worked with Changpeng Zhao and helped him in prison?

"CZ is one of the high-profile people I have worked with, which is why I’m here in Binance Blockchain Week Dubai. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet him and work closely with him while he was going through challenges in the United States, including what I believe was a very unjust prosecution.

"CZ is a very strong man with a very strong mind. But he was still entering a world of the unknown, and he wasn’t necessarily a friend of the authorities. The government is not always accommodating, but it’s an area I knew really well. I have a nonprofit that helps people in prison, so wherever he was going, I knew I would know people there.

“I have more than a million people going through Prison Professors’ programs across the United States, so with my knowledge of how the system works, I could anticipate where he might go. Long before he went, I started to create a path to ensure that, wherever he ended up, there would be people waiting to help him, welcome him into the community, make things easier, and help him avoid some of the complications that others face when they first go to prison.

"We had a great opportunity with CZ through some of the relationships my nonprofit has with other nonprofits. We were able to help CZ get out of prison early, and he served a portion of his time in the community, so he wasn’t always in prison.

“First, we did everything we could to make his life better in prison, and then we transitioned him to the community earlier.

"He was in what's called a halfway house, and while he was there, I rented an office nearby, so he could come to my office every day. He was technically still in prison, but he was able to work, which allowed him to be productive on the manuscript we were working on together and to reconnect with his family.

"He was able to use the phone and make video calls, and that experience helped take a bit of the burden of prison off him."

Santos further went on to hint that Zhao is working on his biography, which is expected to hit the shelves soon.

"While he was there, I encouraged him to stay strong, not to get depressed, and to remain productive. So I said, ‘The best thing you can do while you’re there is to write your story.’ And so he would write every day and send it to me through a sort of email system. I would edit it, work on it, and prompt him with other questions.

"Together, we worked on building his manuscript, which I can’t wait to share with the world. It tells his story of growing up as a very poor boy in China, migrating to Canada, becoming a good student, and eventually attending McGill University.

“From there, he went to Asia to start his career, then moved to New York to work at Bloomberg, and later returned to Asia. In 2014, he got his 'orange peel,' so to speak, and dived into the crypto world, eventually launching Binance. He learned about ICOs and launched the initial BNB tokens in 2017.

“He went on to build Binance, which became the fastest company in history to make a billion dollars in profit with no debt, all while striving to treat his customers well, protect them, and help them safeguard their assets. It’s such an inspiring story, one I had the privilege of learning from him, while also helping him create something meaningful and productive during what, for many others, might have been a crisis.”

Apart from the biography, Santos pointed out that Zhao is still excited about the developments, such as how US presidential elections could impact the crypto industry. Moreover, the former Binance CEO’s next venture will be focused on teaching society about crypto by starting Giggle Academy.

"Giggle Academy is his new venture that he plans to devote a lot of time to. I know he had hoped to have it ready by the end of the year, and if he chooses to focus on it again, I’ll be there to help him. Giggle Academy is designed to teach people anywhere in the world, as long as they have an internet connection, how to learn and be productive. 

“He's [Zhao] investing all of his own resources into building it, and I know it will require hundreds of millions of dollars to bring this vision to life. He cares nothing about making a profit; his only goal is to make a lasting impact on the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

"Zhao's primarily investing in countries that might not have the same resources we do, but because of his personal experiences and what he’s witnessed, he’s willing to make a difference there as well. It just shows the character of someone who is truly focused on making a better world, and that's one of the reasons I admire him so much. It’s amazing.

“The platform will be open to everyone, and nobody will have to pay — it's completely free. You can learn any subject, not just crypto, but also thinking skills, writing skills, math skills, science skills, engineering skills, journalism skills, and more. It’s going to be a tremendous asset, and I've seen some of the early work on it. I’m very excited to watch him develop it."

Within the blockchain industry, Santos states that Zhao, despite going to prison, will continue to “always be an ambassador for cryptocurrency, blockchain, and Web 3.0, as well as for the entire industry. He’s no longer involved in the daily operations of the company, but he certainly has a vested interest in seeing it grow. I believe we can continue to count on his leadership around the world.”

How Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies Redefine Freedom and Fuel Global Growth?

Santos shared how he was initially drawn to cryptocurrency and blockchain, using it as a bridge to help those who are incarcerated avoid being left behind by rapid technological progress:

“I was in prison for 26 years and didn't have an opportunity to learn about the world and how it was evolving. What I try to do now in my career is try and teach people in prison, don't make that mistake, and let the world pass you by."

He mentioned the impact of reading Satoshi Nakamoto’s white paper and the parallels he saw between Satoshi’s efforts and his own:

"When he tried to introduce this idea of cryptocurrency to the world, I just think about the enormous challenges he faced in changing the way people would think about money or payments or digital assets and blockchain... I thought about the challenges that he faced and how he went after kind of a friendly audience at first with cryptographers and sharing his paper with cryptographers. And then allowing it to spread.”

"That's what got me interested — not only as an investment opportunity but also as a teaching opportunity to help. We incarcerate more than a million people in the United States, and I want to help them understand something they don't have access to right now."

Reflecting on how cryptocurrency intersects with his advocacy for financial empowerment and independence, Santos discussed his excitement about blockchain technology and its potential for accountability:

“I'm super excited now as I learn more about Web 3.0 and the concept of smart contracts and the ability to track progress on a digital ledger. That is something that's very exciting to me because, in the prison system, people are cut off from society and beholden to a government that dictates what they can do, what they can study, and who they can communicate with, blocking them from opportunities with blockchain.” 

“What I'm learning about Web 3.0 is that I can open it up and make it much more transparent — publishing what they're doing online and hopefully helping to gamify the system. I’m going to incentivize people in prison to learn through these courses you see me putting up on LinkedIn or elsewhere.” 

“I'm showing people what they can do, but I also want them to memorialize their journey, talk about their progress, and earn points for their work through these types of smart contracts. Then, I will use it in a social justice campaign to engage traditional corporations that might provide jobs, or perhaps even develop a fund where people could work for sponsorships or scholarships. Some may even need venture funding to start a business of their own.”

When asked about advice for those in prison hoping to build a better life upon release, Santos emphasized the value of self-investment:

"My advice to them is always to invest in yourself first and learn that the system is not going to change your life... regardless of what the system, what problems the system presents, there's always something you can do."

He highlighted how developing core skills could become assets documented on a blockchain, likening it to a “proof of work” for personal growth: "If I can memorialize that on a blockchain by showing how hard you have worked, I believe that you're building your own asset. You're building a resume that you could use to leverage to open new opportunities.”

Santos sees crypto not only as a financial investment but as a symbol of resilience and potential: "The crypto space is not only a great metaphor of that story, but it is also a great pathway to new opportunities. I always believe there's more opportunity in the future than in the past."

He offered advice to those beginning to explore cryptocurrency, noting the vast opportunities within the space for young entrepreneurs: "I'm a buyer of Bitcoin and not a seller of Bitcoin and I don't want to sell it. But I definitely want to work to accumulate, and I want to work to spread, be a part of the movement of spreading adoption and helping more people understand."

Despite the challenges posed by regulatory uncertainty in the U.S., Santos is optimistic: "I think we've got a new election coming up on Tuesday, just a couple of days from now. I'm very optimistic that we're going to see regulatory change."

Santos encouraged others to help spread the word about crypto: "Even if it's doing what you're doing, you know, just spreading the word about how other people are using it."

"I think what's exciting about crypto is that it’s such a new and disruptive industry, and there are going to be so many opportunities to bridge the gap between the real world and using crypto, whether for collateral or simply for buying things if you want to.” 

“I don't sell any — I’m a buyer of Bitcoin, not a seller, and I don't want to sell it. But I definitely want to work to accumulate and to be part of the movement of spreading adoption and helping more people understand.” 

“I think this is an enormous opportunity, particularly for someone who’s young and entrepreneurial and wants to get involved in helping, whether it’s a store or a chain of businesses, understand how this technology could accelerate their business. It’s not going to happen by being ignorant of it; it’s going to happen by spreading the word.” 

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