The Rise and Fall of Crypto Billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried from Talk Easy

The Rise and Fall of Crypto Billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried from Talk Easy

Author: Pushkin Industries December 12, 2023 Duration: 1:04:48

Enjoy this episode from another Pushkin Industries podcast, Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso.

Upon taking a walk with crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, writer Michael Lewis had a sense that there might be a story here. In the intervening two years, that story has taken a series of twists and turns, resulting in Lewis’ new book Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon.

At the top, we walk through Bankman-Fried’s Manhattan trial, the subject at the center of this winding story, and why Lewis was first interested in observing him. Then, he unpacks Bankman-Fried’s belief in effective altruism, his probabilistic approach to trading, and how his Stanford law professor parents shaped his thinking.

On the back-half, we discuss the ten-day period of FTX’s collapse, the scene in the Bahamas as Bankman-Fried filed for bankruptcy, and why Lewis felt a kinship with Sam’s parents in that moment. To close, Michael reflects on his own journalistic tendencies and how he managed to write this book in the aftermath of great personal tragedy.

For thoughts, reflections, and guest suggestions, drop Sam a line at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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: 100

Against the Rules: The Big Short Companion
Podcast Episodes
The Coach in Your Head [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:03
Just about anyone today can call themselves a coach. Michael traces this trend back to its source and finds out that the secret to effective coaching lies not in retraining the body, but the mind. We meet the original gu…
Don't Be Good – Be Great [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Michael revisits his high school days in New Orleans to tell the story of Billy Fitzgerald, the baseball coach who changed his life; and makes the case for the old-school, tough- love coaching that many parents find hard…
The Invisible Coach [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Credit card companies are making billions of dollars off of people who don’t understand the rules of the money game. Can a good coach help level the playing field? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpo…
Introducing Against the Rules Season 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:13
Journalist and bestselling author Michael Lewis (Liar's Poker, Moneyball) takes a searing look at what’s happened to fairness. It feels like there's less of it every day—whether it comes to lending practices, college adm…
Bonus Against the Rules: Help in a Crisis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:04
While working on the next season of Against the Rules coming later this spring, Michael Lewis has had some conversations that we didn’t want to hold. Conversations with people who are helping others through the Covid-19…
Against the Rules Presents: Cautionary Tales [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:58
A new show from Pushkin Industries: Cautionary Tales. We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all…
Live Episode: Michael Lewis and Malcolm Gladwell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:02
Around the launch of Against the Rules, Michael spoke with his friend and co-producer, the author Malcolm Gladwell, at the 92Y in New York. Hear them talk about podcasting, referees, and the magic of “conversational deli…
The Magic Shoebox [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:34
Where is a millisecond worth a million dollars? The New York Stock Exchange. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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