Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried

4.3 (392)
BUSINESS
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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. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.

TRAILER

Introducing - Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried

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. You can binge all episodes of Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried exclusively and ad-free on Wondery+. Find Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

05/10/2023

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2 min

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Hannah Miller

Host
David Brown

Guest

4.3

out of 5

392 Ratings

Great look at the human side of Alameda and FTX

11/20/2023

anon-nerd

I love this podcast. Very well written, and easy to follow even if you know nothing about crypto. It gives you great insight into the people around SBF and their experiences with him during the rise and fall of Alameda and FTX. Well reported and well written. The vocal fry on the narrator’s part is really the only downside, and it’s not a biggie. Side note- it’s crazy how much listening to Caroline Ellison reminds me of Elizabeth Holmes.
Terrific series!

07/14/2025

Saurolophus

Very well done. Thank you! One nitpick: please nix the twitter chirps and IM beeps when quoting content from the same; so very annoying.
Not Bad

08/24/2023

Living is overrated

I simply cannot understand how anyone fell for this kid’s nonsense. I knew he was full of crap the first time I ever heard his name; anyone who wants to “do good” would not donate money to, and vote for, one of the most evil political parties in human history. Also, hearing his fellow crook call herself “hot” was the funniest thing that I have heard all year. I really needed a good laugh, and that gave me a great one. That Caroline crook is so unattractive that if we were the last two people on the planet and only we could repopulate humanity I would just let the human race become extinct before I touched that girl with a ten-foot pole. The show itself is interesting and the hostess seems to have the personality for podcasting; however, she lets her alt-left insanity shine through once in a while. If it were not for that this show would have gotten five stars from me.
Great summary of the issue

11/08/2023

megerrrrrs

Great podcast reviewing SBF and FTX without going too long or detailed. Very compelling

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. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.