When nerdy gamer Sam Bankman-Fried rocketed to fame as the world’s richest 29-year-old, he pledged to donate his billions to good causes. But when Sam's crypto exchange FTX collapsed, billions of dollars went missing, and Sam was in handcuffs, those who knew him were left wondering — who was Sam really? A well-meaning billionaire who made a mistake? Or a calculated con man? From Wondery and Bloomberg, the makers of The Shrink Next Door, comes a new story of incredible wealth, betrayal, and what happens when “doing good” goes really, really, bad.
The episode covers Sam Bankman Free's apology tour, arrest, Caroline Ellison's guilty plea, Sam's extradition process, Sam's prison experience, and ethical questions surrounding his actions.
The episode covers the questionable balance sheet that revealed a significant hole in Sam Bankman-Fried's books. Panic ensued as the price of FTT fell and investors withdrew funds from FTX. Sam and his inner circle fought for survival, eventually leading to FTX filing for bankruptcy. Sam expressed remorse for his mistakes but denied fraud. The episode ends with prosecutors building a case against him.
The episode covers the rise of Sam Bankman Freed and his crypto exchange FTX, exploring his leadership style, success, complicated relationships, risk-taking, and the exposure of secrets. It also delves into FTX's high-profile events, political involvement, and employee discontent.
The episode covers Caroline Ellison's introduction to Alameda Research, the challenges faced by the company, Caroline's life at Alameda, the rise of FTX and Sam's secrets, and the fall of Sam Bankman Freed.
The episode follows the journey of Caroline Ellison and Sam Bankman-Free, who both had a background in mathematics and a shared interest in effective altruism. They met at MIT's Epsilon Theta fraternity and played games together, including their own invention called Ghost House. Sam transitioned from utilitarianism to exploring effective altruism and met William, who introduced him to the concept of earning to give. Sam joined Jane Street Capital, where he felt constrained and eventually resigned to pursue non-profit work. However, he got interested in cryptocurrency trading instead and started his own firm called Alameda Research.