Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, said that older children will guide and interact with younger students in physical education through Giggle Academy, offering incentives for participation. The statement was made during a podcast appearance.
"We will make up the lack of human touch by my current idea is to have the older kids tutor or interact with the younger kids," said Zhao, according to YouTube. "So physical education. It's very hard to do online. The platform can organize PE classes where the 15-year-old kids can lead the seven-year-old kids to do stuff. And the 15-year-old kids gets points or gets credit."
The shift to online physical education (PE) accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting educational platforms to integrate digital tools, gamification, and peer tutoring to maintain student engagement. According to recent educational analyses, educators have recognized that remote PE can combat reduced physical activity. However, issues such as privacy concerns, motivational drop-off, and tech equity persist, particularly in underserved communities. These developments align with broader blended learning policies but raise concerns over access disparities and quality of instruction.
Recent participation statistics reveal significant gaps in youth engagement. The Aspen Institute’s Project Play reported in 2022 that only 54% of U.S. children aged 6–17 participated in sports teams or lessons outside school, with just 36% engaging regularly—marking the lowest level in a decade. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2020 corroborated these trends, showing 54.1% participation with even lower rates among low-income and minority populations. These figures highlight the urgency of accessible online PE and peer-supported programs.
Zhao said, "there’s probably 1 billion people who’s in school learning something every day, right?" He emphasized the potential scale of digital education by adding, "I think if we can help 100 million people to get educated, I think that is a super impactful thing for me to do. And I don’t care if there’s any returns." This direct quote reflects Zhao's vision to reach a significant portion of global students without prioritizing financial gain. According to Binance Square’s post covering his first speech after prison, Zhao underscored that transforming education at such scale mattered far more to him than any economic return.
According to his official biography on Wikipedia and coverage by major media outlets, Changpeng Zhao (commonly known as CZ) was born in Jiangsu, China, in 1977 and immigrated to Canada as a teenager. He later earned a degree in computer science from McGill University. After holding roles at Bloomberg Tradebook and Blockchain.info, he founded Binance in 2017, quickly growing it into the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. In 2024, as reported by Forbes, Zhao shifted his focus to philanthropy and education by founding Giggle Academy to expand free learning opportunities for underserved children worldwide.
Giggle Academy is a nonprofit ed-tech platform founded by Changpeng Zhao in March 2024. It offers free gamified K–12 education with personalized AI-enhanced content without ads or data tracking. The platform operates with a small team (2–10 staff), aiming to reach underserved communities globally and incorporates features like soul-bound tokens to certify learning achievements. Its mission centers on delivering accessible adaptive education as a public good aligned with open-source equity-focused values.