First Face-to-Face Meeting After Years of Online Collaboration
Changpeng Zhao, better known as CZ, recently shared a photo on social media showing him with Michael Saylor. This marked their first in-person meeting, which happened at Binance Blockchain Week in Dubai. The two had been interacting online for years but hadn’t met face-to-face until this event.
Saylor attended as a keynote speaker, which was his first speaking appearance at a crypto event in the United Arab Emirates. He gave a presentation called “The Undeniable Case for Bitcoin” where he discussed market volatility, institutional adoption, and compared Bitcoin’s energy use to major tech companies and even the U.S. Navy.
Longstanding Online Relationship
Their connection goes back to the early 2020s when both became prominent voices during Bitcoin’s price fluctuations. CZ frequently supported Saylor’s aggressive Bitcoin accumulation strategy at MicroStrategy, especially when others questioned buying during price drops. He would publicly defend Saylor’s approach on social media.
Their views often aligned on Bitcoin’s scarcity, its advantages over traditional assets like gold, and its potential role in creating a more transparent financial system. They would regularly share and amplify each other’s content online.
Real-World Collaboration
This online relationship turned into actual collaboration in 2025 when both were appointed as advisors to Pakistan’s Crypto Council. They worked together to help guide the country’s plans for building strategic Bitcoin reserves. So they had professional ties before finally meeting in person.
Interestingly, CZ had mentioned the possibility of meeting Saylor in a tweet earlier, joking about putting him in the same room with gold advocate Peter Schiff. That’s noteworthy because CZ recently had a heated debate with Schiff about Bitcoin that gained significant attention on social media.
The Meeting Context
The meeting occurred shortly after Saylor’s keynote presentation. Following his talk, Saylor participated in a community question-and-answer session, and then had the opportunity to meet CZ. The photo CZ shared shows them together, finally connecting after years of digital interaction.
It’s interesting to think about how these two influential figures in cryptocurrency have managed to collaborate and support each other’s work without ever meeting in person until now. Their relationship developed entirely through online platforms and professional appointments before this Dubai event brought them together physically.
I suppose this shows how the crypto space operates differently from traditional industries. Major collaborations can happen across continents without face-to-face meetings. But there’s still something different about meeting in person, isn’t there? The photo suggests a genuine connection beyond just professional courtesy.
Both men have been significant voices in cryptocurrency advocacy, though from different angles—Saylor from the corporate Bitcoin accumulation side and CZ from the exchange infrastructure side. Their meeting represents a convergence of two important strands of the crypto ecosystem.
