At Binance Blockchain Week in Dubai in December 2025, Binance co-founder He Yi announced her appointment as co-CEO of Binance. In an interview that week, she revealed her commitment to leading the world's largest crypto exchage and her aim to guide Binance towards its long-term vision through organizational reforms, technology adoption, and value investing principles. The following is a summary of part of the interview.
Why did Binance appoint a co-CEO? A new management structure that achieves "1+1>2".
Under the new personnel arrangement, CEO Richard Teng will leverage his compliance background to communicate with global regulators, while He Yi will focus on corporate culture, human resources, and user experience. She stated that such a dual leadership system has precedents in traditional financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase, enabling professional division of labor and institutional efficiency.
She emphasized that when she took over the HR department more than a year ago, she had already begun to think about Binance's "de-founderization" issue, and was committed to building a system-driven corporate organization, rather than relying on individual heroism.
Binance's management philosophy: Inverted triangle organization and "garden-style" growth mechanism
As co-CEO of Binance, He Yi not only took over the corporate culture and HR departments, but also spearheaded sweeping organizational management reforms. She shared that she has spent the past two years conducting extensive research on organizational capabilities and attempting to transform Binance into an organization with "self-evolution" capabilities, rather than a traditional pyramid-shaped company.
"Our organization is more like a garden,"He Yi described Binance as an environment with the ability for "secondary growth," where anyone with a strong growth potential can find a place. "If you do things to the best of your ability, you're the boss. You don't need to manage others, and you don't need others to manage you."
She further explained that Binance employs an "inverted triangle" management model, meaning that the bottom management level supports the entire organization, rather than having top-down decision-makers. The advantage of this is that the company can still function normally even without a specific individual (like herself). However, there are also disadvantages; newcomers may feel lost and unsure who the ultimate decision-maker is.
"Every day, new employees ask me, 'Why is everyone bossing me around? Who is the manager?'" She laughed and said that this confusion actually stems from Binance's emphasis on "the loudest and most reasonable person having the final say," rather than the idea that higher rank means you can command others.
However, she also admitted that this flat culture, which emphasizes proactive participation, may not be friendly to some introverted or passive individuals. Sometimes, a highly capable newcomer becomes a "silent high achiever," easily overshadowed by louder colleagues. This can lead to cultural mismatch, suppress potential, and even turn them into "weeds" within the organization.
To address this issue, she emphasized that Binance internally encourages proactive cross-departmental upgrades and feedback mechanisms, and avoids empty suggestions that are merely "decorative on rubbish." She stated, "Binance is not afraid of criticism, either internally or externally. It is precisely these discordant voices that help us identify problems more quickly and find solutions faster."
This seemingly chaotic yet innovative organizational philosophy demonstrates He Yi's concrete implementation of Binance's vision of "depersonalization" and "system-driven" development, paving the way for her to create a "garden-like organization" that allows the company to continue to grow in the rapidly changing crypto industry.
Denying "front man" rumors: I didn't receive listing fees, nor did I need to steal my own money.
In response to external accusations that Binance employs bribery and "front men" to facilitate coin listings, He Yi directly denied the allegations, emphasizing that "Binance does not charge listing fees; the core principle is that projects must benefit users." She believes that the high listing threshold and strict standards are precisely what leads to imposters in the market. Binance has zero tolerance for such behavior, welcomes reports, and is willing to cooperate with law enforcement agencies to severely punish violations.
As a female leader: It's not about "female advantages," but about "winning through professionalism."
He Yi doesn't want to be defined as a "female CEO." She bluntly stated, "Using gender to gain approachability in the workplace will backfire on your professional image in the long run." She emphasized that whether it's Web2 or Web3, professional competence is the core of the workplace. Gender is neither an advantage nor a limitation; "the real ceiling is what you set for yourself."
Binance's three main strategic pillars: user culture, organizational effectiveness, and the introduction of AI.
After taking over as co-CEO of Binance, He Yi will focus on three things:
Continue the user-centric culture;
Build a systematic organizational structure that does not rely on individual abilities;
Integrating AI technology into Binance's internal operations to improve efficiency and decision-making capabilities.
She believes that technological innovation will be a key driver of Binance's future growth.
Facing meme coins and new business opportunities: From "saying nothing" to "never saying never."
When discussing emerging sectors such as meme coins, contracts, and prediction markets, He Yi frankly admitted that she used to reject new things because she didn't understand them, and learned from that experience: "Never say never." Now, she prefers to approach innovation with an open and cautious attitude, and will not easily deny its potential even if she does not fully understand it.
The challenge behind 300 million users: not the product, but the talent density.
Binance has reached the milestone of 300 million global users, but He Yi points out that the real challenge lies in "talent density." Compared to traditional finance and large technology companies, the crypto industry has long been stigmatized, making it difficult to attract top talent. She believes that building a talent pool that understands both finance and has faith in the crypto industry is key for Binance to move to the next stage.
Hong Kong and the United States' strategic maneuvering: "crossing the river by feeling the stones" amidst policy uncertainty.
Speaking about Hong Kong's development potential, He Yi stated that Binance adopts an open strategy, but pointed out that local exchanges still face limitations in accessing global liquidity, adding, "We still need to take it one step at a time." Regarding the US market, she frankly stated that the political maneuvering is too complex, and Binance is currently just a "small company struggling to survive," unable to influence the overall situation, but it will not give up trying.
Investment philosophy: The most decentralized asset is BTC, and the most "volatile" company is Binance.
He Yi admires the investment logic of Duan Yongping and Buffett—long-term holding of top-tier assets. In the crypto world, she believes Bitcoin (BTC) is the most decentralized asset, and Binance is the company with the most continuous innovation capabilities. She hopes to incubate more "Binance-affiliated" companies like OPPO, VIVO, and Pinduoduo within the Binance ecosystem in the future.
Market volatility and retail investor protection: We do not trade against our users.
He Yi pointed out that in Binance's trading mechanism, the company does not gamble against users, which gives retail investors a fairer chance even in extreme market conditions. For example, the "flash crash on October 11" was caused by a liquidity vacuum due to the suspension of market makers. She emphasized that this is the price the platform pays for not acting as a counterparty and is also a commitment to a fair market.
Outlook for the future: Not predicting ten years, but focusing on doing well in the present.
When discussing Binance's plans for 2026, He Yi admitted, "There is no five-year plan, nor a ten-year plan," because the industry changes too quickly. But she firmly stated one thing: "We will always put users at the center and create products and services that everyone can trust and feel at ease with."
From an 18-year-old dream to a driving force today: I just wanted to give it a try
He Yi recalled saying when she was 18 that she wanted to "become someone who influences the world," and now she seems to be realizing that dream. She believes that the greatest driving force in life is the phrase "I want to try," and from host to entrepreneur to Binance CEO, it is this curiosity and courage that has driven her forward.
Facing confusion and pressure: Clouds in the blue sky, water in the bottle, everything has its own arrangement.
In her extremely high-pressure work environment, she frankly admitted to experiencing countless moments that felt like the sky was falling, including the sudden collapse in October and misunderstandings from the outside world. But she faced everything with a philosophical attitude: "Clouds in the blue sky, water in the bottle, whatever fate gives you, just live it to the fullest."
This article , an interview with He Yi: From "I want to try" to Binance co-CEO, the new management structure of "1+1>2" first appeared in ABMedia .
