logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2022
41m 36s

Who Is Sam Bankman-Fried, the ‘Savior’ W...

Vice
About this episode

Have you heard about Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX? FTX was the second largest crypto currency exchange in the world and Bankman-Fried was the guy who ran it. He was a young genius, people said. He practiced something called “effective altruism,” gave away money to people on the street, played video games, and was predicted to be the world’s first trillionaire.


Now he’s bankrupt, FTX is in ruins and large amounts of crypto seem to keep shifting around with no explanation. So who was Bankman-Fried? Why did everyone think he was a genius? And how did FTX seemingly make billions of dollars in wealth evaporate overnight.


On this episode of Cyber, Motherboard staff writer Edward Ongweso Jr. tries to answers those questions.


Stories discussed in this episode:


Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX Crypto Empire Is Officially Bankrupt


Sam Bankman-Fried Was Supposed to Be Different. He Wasn't.


FTX Founder: ‘I Fucked Up’


We’re recording CYBER live on Twitch and YouTube. Watch live during the week. Follow us there to get alerts when we go live. We take questions from the audience and yours might just end up on the show. 


Subscribe to CYBER on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Mar 30
VICE is back with a new podcast
VICE is back with a new podcast exploring the subcultures and fringes that we are best known for. If you thought we were gone, looks like we have more to say. Each week we are sitting down with the internets most fascinating characters and getting to the bottom of cultural trends ... Show More
33m 57s
Feb 2024
Why Congress's Fears of Russian Space Nukes Is Political Theatre
Cyber is a show covering a diverse range of topics. We’ve covered everything from crypto to AI to online cults. If it touches technology or online culture, we’ll talk about it. That’s how you get an episode like today’s, which is both a deep dive into professional wrestling’s lat ... Show More
1 h
Feb 2024
AI Deepfakes Are Everywhere and Congress is Completely Out of Their Depth
An AI-generated Biden called voters in New Hampshire ahead of the primary and told them to stay home. X locked down the search term “Taylor Swift” after AI-generated nudes of the pop giant flooded the platform. In the wake of both scandals, Congress has struggled with how to figh ... Show More
50m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
The Naked Emperor Episode 1: The Hype
Sam Bankman-Fried wasn't like other crypto moguls: he drove a Toyota Corolla, he was an advocate for government regulation, he said he would give billions away to charity. That is, until he lost it all in what has been called “one of history’s greatest-ever destructions of wealth ... Show More
33m 47s
Apr 2023
The Naked Emperor Episode 4: It Takes a Village
Sam Bankman-Fried couldn’t have marketed FTX to the masses on his own. He had help – from the institutional investors who brought in the big bucks, to the celebrity endorsers who told the public that FTX was “a safe and easy way to get into crypto.” One FTX brand ambassador was K ... Show More
34m 12s
May 2023
Introducing - Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried
Coming soon: 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 then his crypto exchange FTX collapsed Billions of dollars were missing, and Sam was in handcuffs. Those who knew him were le ... Show More
2m 21s
Mar 2023
Hunting Warhead Introduces: The Naked Emperor
Sam Bankman-Fried wasn't like other crypto moguls: he drove a Toyota Corolla, he was an advocate for government regulation, he said he would give billions away to charity. That is, until he lost it all in what has been called “one of history’s greatest-ever destructions of wealth ... Show More
35m 5s
May 2023
Introducing - Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried
Coming soon: 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 then his crypto exchange FTX collapsed Billions of dollars were missing, and Sam was in handcuffs. Those who knew him were le ... Show More
2m 21s
Nov 2022
The Man Who Was Supposed to Save Crypto
<p>Earlier this year, much of the crypto industry imploded, taking with it billions of dollars. From that crash, one company and its charismatic founder emerged as the industry’s savior.</p><p>Last week, that company collapsed.</p><p>Who is Sam Bankman-Fried, how did he become th ... Show More
33m 35s