MiB: Michael Lewis on SBF & FTX

This week, we speak with Michael Lewis, whose latest book is “Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon,” on FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. He takes readers into the mind of Bankman-Fried, whose rise and fall offers an education in high-frequency trading, cryptocurrencies, philanthropy, bankruptcy, and the justice system.

We discuss his writing process, and what made this book so different than his prior ones: A focus on personalities instead of some broad social upheaval.

He explains the “story war” going on between crypto advocates, people who lost money, prosecutors and defense attorneys, as well as lots of other observers.

I did manage to ask a few challenging questions, including:

-Did you get too close to your subjects?
-How much did FTX pay you?
-is SBF on the spectrum?
-How did the death of your daughter affect your writing process?

I found him to be open and unguarded and was happy to answer all questions.

A list of his published books is here; A transcript of our conversation is available here Tuesday.

You can stream and download our full conversation, including any podcast extras, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Bloomberg. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite pod hosts can be found here.

Be sure to check out our Masters in Business next week with Michael Carmen, Head of Private Markets at Wellington Management Company. The firm was founded in 1933, hired John C. Bogle in 1951, and today manages over $1 trillion dollars.

Previously:
Cancelling Michael Lewis (October 5, 2023)

Revisiting Liar’s Poker, 30 Years Later (April 22, 2022)

MiB: Michael Lewis on Pandemic Planning (May 8, 2021)

MiB: Michael Lewis on Coaches and Risk (May 25, 2020)

MIB: Michael Lewis, Podcaster (April 6, 2019)

MIB: Michael Lewis on a Writer’s Life (December 13, 2016)

Michael Lewis’ Portrait of Two Men Who Changed the World (December 5, 2016)