Judging Sam: The Case Against SBF

Judging Sam: The Case Against SBF

Author: Pushkin Industries October 3, 2023 Duration: 30:28

Sam Bankman-Fried's trial starts today in the formidable Southern District of New York, with Judge Lewis A. Kaplan presiding. If convicted, the former multi-billionaire and CEO of crypto exchange FTX could spend the rest of his life behind bars. In this episode, Michael talks with court reporter and producer Lidia Jean Kott and former Southern District of New York prosecutor Rebecca Mermelstein, now a defense attorney with O'Melveny and Myers, about the charges against Sam and what we might expect as the trial gets underway.

Questions for Michael? Submit them by clicking the link in our show notes or visiting atrpodcast.com

This conversation was recorded on September 26th.

To listen to all of our coverage ad-free, sign up for Pushkin plus on the Against The Rules show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


Fifteen years have passed since Michael Lewis published his defining work, Against the Rules: The Big Short Companion. In that time, the story of the 2008 financial crisis, first told in his best-selling book and later in an Oscar-winning film, has only grown more relevant. This audio companion, produced by Pushkin Industries, is not a simple retrospective. Instead, Lewis, joined by co-host Lidia Jean Kott, uses the anniversary as a starting point for a deeper investigation. They examine the enduring legacy of that seismic event-how its lessons were absorbed, ignored, or misunderstood in the worlds of business, culture, and even sports. Listeners are brought directly into conversations that feel both urgent and reflective, including Lewis catching up with the film's director, Adam McKay, and revisiting the real-life individuals whose stories fueled the original narrative. The result is a podcast that functions as a vital, living appendix to a modern classic, asking what we truly learned and how the rules of the game have-or haven't-changed since the house of cards came tumbling down. It’s an essential listen for anyone who wonders how the past continues to shape our present.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 110

Against the Rules with Michael Lewis
Podcast Episodes
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Judges now want us to know they’re human. But maybe we’d be better off if we didn’t know. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Neutral [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:13
What kind of person makes a neutral referee? It’s not the kind of person you think. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Hand of Leonardo [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:54
The authenticator ref absolves everyone of blame. And sometimes generates money out of thin air. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information…
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Duration: 41:59
Everyone hates grammar and ethics cops. Until they need one. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Seven Minute Rule [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:58
The government protects us from some dangerous products, but not from others that, over time, ruin countless lives.Michael has started a Go Fund Me campaign to help Katie finally be free of her student loan burden. If yo…
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Duration: 37:15
Rage at referees is all the rage in professional sports. Michael Lewis visits a replay center that’s trying to do the impossible: adjudicate fairness. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.…
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Duration: 2:38
Get ready for the launch of Michael Lewis's first podcast, where he takes listeners from student-loan call centers to the courts of Uzbekistan to the new trading hubs of Wall Street (in New Jersey). What happens when fai…