9 episodes
Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried Wondery
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- Business
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4.4 • 44 Ratings
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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 when Sam's crypto exchange FTX collapsed, billions of dollars went missing, and Sam was in handcuffs, those who knew him were left wondering — who was Sam really? A well-meaning billionaire who made a mistake? Or a calculated con man? From Wondery and Bloomberg, the makers of The Shrink Next Door, comes a new story of incredible wealth, betrayal, and what happens when “doing good” goes really, really, bad.
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The Smartest Person I Know
Sam Bankman-Fried was making billions. He shared the stage with world leaders and celebrities. His face appeared on billboards promoting his plans to save the world. But this carefully staged production was about to be tested when reporters started asking questions.
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Earn to Give
A lunchtime chat convinces Sam the best way to save the world is to make a ton of money. All he has to do is figure out how to make that happen.
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Deleted from Reality
Sam’s crypto trading firm, Alameda Research, makes millions. But some of his closest allies start to doubt his methods.
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Genie’s Wish
With the success of FTX, Sam is hailed as the next Warren Buffett. But behind the scenes, there are secrets that threaten to destroy everything he’s built.
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Magic Beans
A leaked document puts Sam’s crypto empire into a tailspin. He is forced to turn to his greatest adversary for help.
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“Fraud in Shorts”
As his empire lies in ruins, Sam starts telling his own side of the story. But when Caroline Ellison is spotted in New York, his problems look set to get much worse.
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Customer Reviews
Great series
Throughly enjoyed listening to the genesis of FTX and SBF.
The series reporting shows there were clear breadcrumbs left at each of SBFs stops that he was an expert at “smoke and mirror” play.
When the books about FTX and SBF start flowing, this group of Bloomberg reporters need to be adding theirs to the pile.
Great show and can’t wait for the series covering the trial - if we get one.
Very interesting
Very well narrated and very interesting
Lazy, barely surface level podcast from a prolific podcast mill
Listen to the CBC Podcast on this ‘The Emperor Has No Clothes’ instead. Far deeper dive, far more insightful, far more intelligent.