logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
33m 47s

The Naked Emperor Episode 1: The Hype

CBC
About this episode

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.” Sam Bankman-Fried, aka SBF, had an empire. His cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, and hedge fund, Alameda Research, together were worth billions. Celebrities sang his praises, and politicians took his donations. Then, it all collapsed – almost overnight. There were millions of FTX customers. Now, they don’t know where their money is. Host Jacob Silverman, co-author of a forthcoming book about crypto and fraud, takes a closer look at the hype around SBF and FTX, and how it only grew, even as other crypto companies crashed around them. How powerful was Sam Bankman-Fried? And how did he initially manage to hang on, to thrive even, as other giants tumbled towards bankruptcy?

Up next
Jul 15
Introducing: Click Here | Citizen Lab is still chasing shadows
Today we’re sharing an episode from the Click Here podcast from Recorded Future News and PRX.The early Internet was all about hope and utopian possibilities. But the founder of the Citizen Lab, Ron Deibert, always had an unsettled feeling about the web and its dark underbelly. So ... Show More
22m 51s
May 26
Kick 'Em in the Dongle
It's 2025. President Trump is back, and the richest men in tech are on stage with him. What started as a dysfunctional internet run by tech giants, and enabled by failed legislation, has morphed into something even more dangerous: what economist Yanis Varoufakis calls technofeuda ... Show More
41m 20s
May 19
In God We Antitrust
American antitrust laws were designed to stop companies from wielding the power of kings. But in the 1970s, a legal scholar named Robert Bork convinced Washington to ignore those laws. Host Cory Doctorow traces how Bork's influence gave digital giants like Amazon a decades-long f ... Show More
36m 33s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
Uncover 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
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
Nov 2022
Who Is Sam Bankman-Fried, the ‘Savior’ Who Crashed FTX?
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 stre ... Show More
41m 36s
Nov 2022
The Man Who Was Supposed to Save Crypto
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.Last week, that company collapsed.Who is Sam Bankman-Fried, how did he become the face of crypto, ... Show More
33m 35s
Nov 2022
Sam Bankman-Fried and the fall of a crypto empire
Sam Bankman-Fried built a reputation as the one reliable crypto bro. But within the span of days, his empire came crashing down. What the rise and fall of crypto's 30-year-old elder statesman says about the story of crypto so far. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or a ... Show More
23m 48s
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
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
MM090: FTX fiasco rocks the crypto market
In this episode, we attempt to unpack what exactly happened in the crypto market this week which was rocked by news about FTX and Binance, two of the world's largest crypto exchanges. The move came as FTX CEO and founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who was hailed as something of a savior ... Show More
57m 1s
Nov 2022
Understanding the Collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried's Crypto Empire
The collapse of the Sam Bankman-Fried empire is gigantic, sprawling and fast moving. While details are still coming out, it already ranks among the most prominent corporate disasters of all time and has left the entire crypto community reeling. To better understand the role that ... Show More
51m 51s