Judging Sam: Going Infinite – Jacob Weisberg interviews Michael Lewis
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Oct 2, 2023
Michael Lewis shares his firsthand experience covering Sam Bankman-Fried, once celebrated as a crypto genius, now facing serious legal troubles. He reflects on the rapid rise and catastrophic fall of FTX, revealing insights into the motivations behind Bankman-Fried's actions. The discussion navigates the ethical dilemmas and personal challenges within the chaotic world of cryptocurrency. Listeners gain a deeper understanding of the legal complexities and psychological factors influencing this high-profile case.
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Accidental Encounter
Michael Lewis was asked by a friend to assess Sam Bankman-Fried's character before a $300 million investment.
This led to unprecedented access and observation of SBF's rise and fall, forming the basis of "Going Infinite."
insights INSIGHT
Effective Altruism's Influence
Effective altruism, a movement based on Peter Singer's philosophy, aims to maximize the quality of human life years through philanthropy.
SBF's initial foray into crypto was driven by this philosophy, aiming to generate vast wealth to mitigate existential risks to humanity.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Unhealthy Vegan
Despite being vegan, SBF maintains an unhealthy diet, primarily consuming snacks.
This dietary preference makes a prison vending machine a suitable food source for him.
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In 'Going Infinite', Michael Lewis delves into the life of Sam Bankman-Fried, the enigmatic founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX. The book provides a psychological portrait and a financial roller-coaster ride, tracing Bankman-Fried's trajectory from becoming the world's youngest billionaire to his eventual downfall. It covers topics such as high-frequency trading, cryptocurrencies, effective altruism, and the justice system. Despite criticism for its sympathetic portrayal of Bankman-Fried, the book offers a fascinating insight into the complex world of cryptocurrencies and the character of its central figure.
For the past year and a half, journalist Michael Lewis has been following crypto entrepreneur and former CEO of FTX Sam Bankman-Fried. The resulting book, "Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon", is out October 3. When Michael started his reporting, SBF was heralded as a wunderkind, a genius, a crypto innovator, a major philanthropist and political donor. Now, Sam Bankman-Fried is standing trial on multiple charges, including wire fraud, securities fraud, and misusing billions of dollars of customer funds. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. Michael was there – with unprecedented access – to see it all happen. In this episode, Pushkin's Jacob Weisberg interviews Michael about how he chose Sam as his book subject, what he thought the book was going to be about, and when he sensed things were going to come crashing down for Sam and FTX.
This conversation was recorded on September 13.
Questions for Michael? Submit them by clicking the link in our show notes or visiting atrpodcast.com
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