On December 3, at the annual Binance Blockchain Week, Binance announced its biggest management reshuffle since the CZ era, with co-founder He Yi officially becoming co-CEO, joining Richard Teng in leading this crypto behemoth.

Following the meeting, He Yi, in interviews with multiple PANews media outlets, displayed a pragmatic and resolute demeanor befitting a patriarch, candidly addressing and sharing her new role's responsibilities, "front man" rumors, industry cycle predictions, and Binance's future plans. She clearly stated that in this new phase, Binance's focus will return to users and technology, building systemic capabilities and upgrading into a self-sustaining, long-lasting organization.

The co-CEO structure reflects regulatory and organizational considerations and will guide three core themes in the future.

Regarding the much-discussed co-CEO structure, He Yi defines it as a strategic complementarity where "1+1>2".

She clearly defined the division of labor between the two: Richard Teng, with his extensive regulatory experience, served as the best bridge between Binance and global regulatory agencies, responsible for pushing compliance standards to new heights; while He Yi, as an industry OG, returned to internal affairs, focusing on user experience, corporate culture inheritance, and human resource operations. She pointed out that whether it is traditional financial giants like JPMorgan Chase or peers like Bybit, the co-CEO system is not uncommon in modern enterprises that pursue equality and efficiency.

“I have a big ambition: to make Binance a company that lasts forever.” He Yi admitted that when she took over the HR department a year ago, she began to think about how to transform Binance so that it could move forward as an “organization” rather than just relying on “individual ability”.

In terms of management philosophy, He Yi admires Duan Yongping and appreciates his idea of building systems rather than relying on individual abilities. She hopes that Binance can nurture new companies like OPPO, Vivo, Xiaotiancai, and Pinduoduo, "supporting more outstanding entrepreneurs to succeed based on the BNB aircraft carrier."

As a rare female leader in the industry, He Yi refuses to label herself with gender and is also averse to workplace strategies that exploit "female advantages".

"Business competition is a cutthroat environment; no one will attack you less just because you're a woman. On the contrary, they might hurl even more insults," He Yi believes. She argues that women shouldn't limit themselves, nor should they try to use communication skills to mask a lack of professional expertise. Whether in Web2 or Web3, the only way to earn respect is to perfect your professional skills, whether it's marketing, growth, or PR.

“Your weakness may be your strength, but if you treat it as a strength, it may also become your weakness,” He Yi suggested. The key to breaking through the glass ceiling is to find your core strengths, rather than relying on gender advantages.

After assuming her new role, He Yi will be responsible for Binance's three main lines of work: continuing Binance's "user-centric" culture, building an organizational system that goes beyond single-point empowerment, and introducing technological innovations such as AI into the organization. She firmly believes that technological innovation is the fundamental driving force for the industry to go further.

Denying "front-door" rumors, maintaining a cautiously open attitude towards new fields.

Recently, rumors about "front men" for listing coins on Binance have been rampant in the market. In response, He Yi stated clearly in an interview that she has a zero-tolerance attitude towards such behavior.

“Binance has never had a front man,” He Zhi stated firmly, adding that the so-called relatives and close friends were all imposters. She pointed out that Binance does not charge listing fees; the core condition is that the project team must provide users with airdrops or low-priced tokens. It is precisely because of these high barriers to entry and strict standards that scams attempting to profit from them have emerged. “If you have even a slight understanding of Binance's equity structure, you'll know I don't need to do this. That would be stealing money from my own pocket. Why would I need to steal money from my own pocket?”

He Yi stated that Binance welcomes reports and is willing to cooperate with law enforcement agencies to combat such scams. She emphasized that with the increasing number of licensed entities, crypto is no longer a lawless zone, and any attempt to undermine a fair and transparent market will be severely punished.

When discussing her views on trending sectors, He Yi shared her reflections. She admitted that she had made incorrect judgments in the past due to a lack of understanding, "I once said that Binance didn't do futures, and I also said that Meme wouldn't work, but it turned out that I was just ignorant." Therefore, she now maintains a more cautious yet open attitude towards new fields, "never say never."

When discussing memes, she frankly admitted to feeling a lot of pressure. "If I post a meme and the price goes up, everyone's happy; if it goes down, they start criticizing me." In her view, memes are a carrier of market sentiment, but in the long run, they will still return to the logic of value. What Binance can do is try its best to ensure the quality of listed projects and strive to secure as many benefits as possible for users.

To achieve its goal of 300 million users, Binance faces its biggest challenge: talent shortage.

At the conference, Binance announced that it has reached 300 million registered users and set its next goal at 1 billion users.

Faced with this achievement, He Yi frankly admitted that she is a "picky boss" and pointed out that Binance still has many shortcomings, such as the product experience is not smooth enough, localization needs to be strengthened, technical stability can be further improved, and the industry image needs to be presented more positively to the outside world.

She specifically mentioned, "In the eyes of outsiders, the cryptocurrency circle is often a 'nest of snakes and rats.' But the industry is interconnected; everyone prospers or suffers together. Binance hopes to take the lead in demonstrating more positive value."

When discussing current challenges, He Yi frankly admitted to a talent shortage. She stated that the crypto industry has long been stigmatized, resulting in a significantly smaller pool of candidates compared to traditional finance and the internet sector. Binance needs individuals who understand finance and crypto, and genuinely believe in the industry's future. "If someone only wants to earn $10,000 to write code, and doesn't care what their code does, it's difficult to build a top-tier global company."

To this end, she has been constantly searching for top talent globally, which has led to the misconception that Binance is poaching talent. He Yi clarified that this is not targeting any particular company, but rather a reflection of the talent shortage across the entire industry.

In addition, He Yi shared her views on global expansion. Regarding the Hong Kong market, she believes its regulatory framework has made significant progress, but local exchanges still face difficulties in accessing global liquidity, and Binance will "feel its way across the river by feeling the stones." When asked about relaunching BUSD and entering the US market, she said, "I want to try, I'll do it if I can, and I accept the reality. Binance is just a small company trying to survive in the cracks, and it can't influence the government."

The underlying logic of cryptography is changing; sharing investment strategies and life philosophies.

When discussing industry cycles, He Yi reminded investors that the underlying logic of the crypto market is changing.

"As Bitcoin moves from niche to mainstream, and sovereign nations and traditional financial giants enter the market, the absolute cycle theory may no longer apply, and previously effective profit-making logic may fail in the new 'big pond'," she pointed out. In the crypto industry, one should either hold the most decentralized leading assets (such as BTC) or invest in the largest and most influential companies in the industry (such as BNB). The underlying logic of the world is interconnected.

He Yi also emphasized that retail investors are still a group that needs protection. Therefore, Binance strives to balance the market environment in terms of risk control, liquidity, and trading mechanisms to ensure the fairness and security of market operations.

At the end of the interview, He Yi recalled her dream when she was 18. From admiring Chen Changsheng in the novel "Fighter of the Destiny" who said "I want to try," to being reminded by a friend that she had fulfilled her childhood wish of "becoming someone who influences the world," He Yi said that her driving force has never changed. From being a host to starting a business, and now to today, she has always been someone who keeps trying.

She believes that the key to life is to accept emotions and changes: "Clouds in the blue sky, water in the bottle. View everything that happens as the best arrangement."