Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried
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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. Binge all episodes of Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried exclusively and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/spellcaster/ now.
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Hosts & Guests
Great look at the human side of Alameda and FTX
11/20/2023
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.
Not Bad
08/24/2023
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
Great podcast reviewing SBF and FTX without going too long or detailed. Very compelling
Starts off great but courtroom coverage is lacking
10/31/2023
I enjoyed the early episodes of this podcast, which gave a good background on the people and events involved. I was looking forward to the courtroom coverage, but it has been very minimal and more concerned with the reporter’s experience as a journalist than with what is being said in the trial itself. I was hoping for a podcast similar to Bad Blood about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos but unfortunately this falls far short of that. Author Michael Lewis appears to have fallen for and remains enchanted with SBF’s entire boy genius schtick. The podcast never gives a sense of why or how SBF took hold of people that way. Maybe Lewis could do an episode reflecting on that.
About
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- Channel
- CreatorWondery | Bloomberg
- Years Active2K
- Episodes13
- RatingClean
- Copyright© 2023 Wondery LLC. All rights reserved.
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