Binance founders used ‘The Simpsons’ codenames, former employees share

Former Binance employees say CZ and Yi He used Homer and Marge Simpson codenames in internal communications.

Former Binance and BNB Chain employees have revealed an unusual detail about the internal culture surrounding one of crypto’s biggest companies: Binance co-founders Changpeng “CZ” Zhao and Yi He routinely used The Simpsons-themed codenames for internal communications.

According to former employees familiar with the practice, the pair followed the company’s long-running association with the colour yellow by adopting the names of television’s most famous yellow couple — Homer and Marge Simpson.

CZ would appear on calls under the name “Homer,” while Yi used “Marge” or “Marjorie.”

The choice was particularly fitting given that CZ and Yi are not only Binance co-founders but also long-time romantic partners. Their personal relationship was kept largely out of the public eye for years, despite the pair working together closely as they built Binance into the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.

Why Homer and Marge?

The choice appears to have been an extension of the visual identity that has surrounded Binance since its earliest years.

Yellow has long been one of the defining colours associated with Binance, appearing prominently throughout its branding and visual communications. Against that backdrop, The Simpsons — perhaps the world’s most instantly recognisable yellow family — provided an obvious source of inspiration for an informal internal naming convention.

According to the former employees, the connection was understood internally, turning Homer and Marge into playful alter egos for the company’s two co-founders.

For outsiders accustomed to seeing CZ speaking at major industry conferences or communicating with millions of followers under his famous initials, the idea of him quietly appearing as “Homer” on a company call offers a rather different picture of life behind the scenes.

The same is true of Yi, who has become an increasingly prominent public figure within Binance and the broader crypto industry.

Yi and CZ had worked together before founding Binance in 2017. The two met while working at Chinese cryptocurrency exchange OKCoin, where Yi recruited CZ as chief technology officer in 2014. Their relationship subsequently developed into both a long-running business partnership and a romantic one.

From codename to internal identity

The Simpsons-inspired aliases were reportedly more than a one-off joke.

Former employees say the names became a familiar part of internal communications, with Yi continuing to use the English name Marjorie internally — suggesting that the original codename evolved into a more lasting internal identity.

CZ, meanwhile, already has one of crypto’s most recognisable public aliases. Changpeng Zhao is almost universally known simply as “CZ,” initials that became closely intertwined with both his own identity and the Binance brand.

Behind closed doors, however, colleagues apparently knew another version: Homer.

There is no suggestion that the names were intended to conceal the founders’ identities from employees who needed to know who was participating in meetings. Rather, former employees describe them as part of the informal culture and naming conventions within the organisation.

That distinction makes the anecdote less a story about secrecy and more a glimpse into the unconventional corporate culture that developed inside one of crypto’s most influential companies.

Pseudonyms, avatars, memes and online identities have been embedded in cryptocurrency culture since its earliest days. Developers and traders regularly operate under aliases, while internet humour frequently spills over into the branding and internal culture of crypto companies.

Even against that backdrop, however, the decision by Binance’s co-founders — and long-time partners — to become Homer and Marge stands out.

What began as a playful reference to Binance’s signature yellow branding appears to have become a surprisingly enduring piece of company culture. And for former employees, it provides a rare glimpse behind two of the industry’s most recognisable public identities: on the right internal call, CZ wasn’t CZ at all. He was Homer — and Yi He was Marge.