Where Are the People?

CZ’s Pardon, Musk’s AI Crusade, and the Vanishing Public in a Tech-Driven America

On October 23, 2025, Donald Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao — better known as CZ — the billionaire founder of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. The move barely registered as a blip in most mainstream coverage. After all, Zhao had already served his four-month federal sentence in 2024 for violating U.S. anti–money laundering laws. The c…