This chapter discusses the childhood of a person referred to as 'Sam' and the concerns his parents had about his social skills and fitting into the world. It highlights moments where Sam showed intelligence beyond his years, but also his difficulty connecting with others. The chapter also mentions how Sam's parents were bewildered when he found success in high frequency trading and later as a crypto billionaire, portraying the contrast between his childhood struggles and his later achievements.
Lewis got incredible access to Sam Bankman-Fried, the billionaire behind the spectacular FTX fraud. His book is a bestseller, but some critics say he went too easy on S.B.F. Lewis tells us why the critics are wrong — and what it’s like to watch your book get turned into a courtroom drama.
- RESOURCES:
- Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon, by Michael Lewis (2023).
- "Column: In Michael Lewis, Sam Bankman-Fried Found His Last and Most Willing Victim," by Michael Hiltzik (Los Angeles Times, 2023).
- "Even Michael Lewis Can’t Make a Hero Out of Sam Bankman-Fried," by Jennifer Szalai (The New York Times, 2023).
- "Michael Lewis Goes Close on Sam Bankman-Fried — Maybe Too Close," by James Ledbetter (The Washington Post, 2023).
- "What You Won’t Learn From Michael Lewis’ Book on FTX Could Fill Another Book," by Julia M. Klein (Los Angeles Times, 2023).
- "Michael Lewis’s Big Contrarian Bet," by Gideon Lewis-Kraus (The New Yorker, 2023).
- "He-Said, They-Said," by John Lanchester (London Review of Books, 2023).
- "Downfall of the Crypto King," by Jesse Armstrong (The Times Literary Supplement, 2023).
- "FTX Debtors vs. Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried," in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (2023).
- Federal Prosecution of Election Offenses: Eighth Edition, by Richard C. Pilger (2017).
- "Pay Candidates to Drop Out? That Should Be Legal," by Stephen L. Carter (Bloomberg, 2016).
- "The History of the Term 'Effective Altruism,'" by William MacAskill (Effective Altruism Forum, 2014).