Zeke Faux, author of 'Number Go Up,' shares his findings after making a deep dive into the world of crypto. From skepticism to a full-blown investigation, Faux recounts his journey that led him to the heart of crypto, meeting some of the most eccentric characters in the industry. As a Bloomberg investigative reporter, Faux brings a critical eye to the crypto sphere, unearthing the bizarre, the risky, and the downright astonishing facets of what the crypto community calls a financial revolution.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Show highlights:

• what the book 'Number Go Up' is about
• Zeke's background as an investigative reporter for Bloomberg
• whether Zeke is skeptical about crypto 
• why Zeke thought it was a big deal to investigate Tether, the issuer of USDT
• whether he had a conclusion on the fact that he couldn't find anything big about Tether
• why Zeke says that Sam Bankman-Fried had a sloppy approach to risk management
• why Zeke believes that SBF did not give so much money to charity even though he's an effective altruist
• how projects like STEPN and Axie Infinity are 'clearly not the future of finance,' according to Zeke
• how SBF had such an open relationship with the media that helped him when the FTX collapse happened
• what Zeke found out investigating pig butchering scams in Cambodia
• how Zeke’s attempt to buy a Mutant Ape to get into an Ape Fest in New York City taught him about crypto’s bad user experience

Thank you to our sponsors!

• Crypto.com
• Arbitrum Foundation
• Toku
• LayerZero

Guest:

• Zeke Faux, author of ‘Number Go Up’

Bloomberg: 11 Hours With Sam Bankman-Fried: Inside the Bahamian Penthouse After FTX’s Fall

Links

Tether

• Unchained: 
• Is Tether a Fraud? Its Bank Says It's Not 
• Tether, the Multibillion-Dollar Stablecoin at the Heart of the Crypto Ecosystem

Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX

• Unchained: 
• Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC
• SBF Behind Bars: Why Revoked Bail Is a Big Deal for Crypto’s Biggest Trial

Pig butchering scams

• Unchained: How This Prosecutor Is Spearheading the Fight Against Crypto ‘Pig Butchering’ Scams

Crypto in developing countries

• Bitcoin in El Salvador: Why Would Cypherpunks Support Government-Mandated Bitcoin Adoption?
• Anita Posch on Why ‘Bitcoin Is a Tool for Freedom’ – Especially in Africa

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