Changpeng Zhao, the Binance founder widely known as CZ, made waves with a bold call for Elon Musk to ban all bots from X, the social media platform Musk has steered since his $44 billion acquisition in 2022. In a pair of X posts, CZ declared, “I think X should ban all bots. I only want to interact with humans here (not ‘Automated’),” urging Musk to disable API-driven posting while #Web3 ecosystems thrive on trust and authenticity—values CZ argues are undermined by automated accounts flooding X with spam and scams. As Bitcoin holds steady at $92,000 and the crypto market cap nears $2.78 trillion, his stance signals a push for a cleaner, human-centric digital landscape.
CZ’s Bot Ban Vision: A Human-First X
CZ’s proposal is surgical—allow AI tools like Grok, GPT, or DeepSeek to generate content, but require users to manually post it, effectively barring automated API submissions. “If someone uses Grok to generate a tweet and copy-pastes it here, fine. But API posting should be disabled,” he wrote.
The Binance mogul’s frustration isn’t new. Back in 2023, he pressed Musk to address X’s bot problem, spotlighting crypto scams and altcoin pumps fueled by automated accounts, per a Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) report cited by @grok. A 2024 USC study, also noted on X, found bot activity persisting despite Musk’s efforts, with spam and harmful content still rife. CZ’s $500 million investment in Musk’s Twitter buyout in 2022—confirmed via a “happy” contribution last December—ties his advocacy to a personal stake, though he’s no longer Binance’s CEO following a $4.3 billion settlement with U.S. authorities in 2023.
Musk’s Bot Battle: A Long-Running Saga
Elon Musk has wrestled with X’s bot infestation since before his takeover, famously citing their prevalence as a reason to back out of the deal—claiming 20% of accounts were fake, far above Twitter’s 5% estimate. Post-acquisition, he’s slashed staff and floated ideas like charging per post to deter bots, though backlash stalled that plan. A 2024 shift saw X teeming with blue-check bots, a byproduct of its subscription model. CZ’s latest plea aligns with Musk’s anti-bot rhetoric—he’s called them a “plague”—but progress lags.
Execution’s the rub. Disabling API posting is technical—X’s infrastructure leans on automation—but feasible, per Musk’s past bot purges. Resistance might come from verified bot operators paying for reach, a revenue stream X’s model embraces. Success could set a precedent—other platforms like Telegram, rife with crypto bots, might follow—while failure risks CZ’s plea fading as noise, drowned by the very bots he despises.
For Web3, it’s a fork in the road. A bot-free X could foster authentic dialogue, boosting trust as crypto matures. Yet, the community’s love-hate bot relationship—useful for hype, toxic for scams—complicates consensus. CZ, sidelined but vocal, has lobbed a gauntlet at Musk: ban the bots, or let X’s crypto chatter stay a chaotic, machine-fueled mess.
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