Michael Lewis depicts Sam Bankman-Fried as delusional in his new book, Going Infinite, but says SBF's explanations remain “irritatingly difficult to disprove”

“Going Infinite,” by Michael Lewis, offers a behind-the-scenes account of Mr. Bankman-Fried's rise and fall.

New York Times 2023-10-03 David Yaffe-Bellany

Discussion

@jbarro Josh Barro on x
Really disappointing for Michael Lewis to be this credulous
@parikpatelcfa @parikpatelcfa on x
All Michael Lewis had to do was say that what SBF did was wrong but he decided to simp and ruin his legacy instead
@followtheh Tom Hearden on x
“If it weren't for a run on the bank Bernie Madoff would still be delivering 1-2% month using his split strike strategy” -Michael Lewis
@jack_raines Jack Raines on x
Michael Lewis has been the best writer in finance since publishing Liar's Poker in 1989, and he's throwing his reputation away every time he doubles down on backing SBF. Sad to watch. A 31-year-old man who committed a multi-billion dollar crime isn't a victim.
@ugarles @ugarles on x
SBF was wish-fulfillment for Michael Lewis and he can't let it go.
@rdnarang @rdnarang on x
Michael Lewis is about to ruin a towering literary reputation because he can't fully grasp that his next featured hero was a villain all along.
@alderlaneeggs Marc Cohodes on x
Is Michael Lewis Trashing His Reputation to Defend Sam Bankman-Fried? Clearly Michael Lewis is captured at some level here https://www.coindesk.com/...
@samanth_s Samanth Subramanian on x
Recently, I spent the better part of the week hanging out with Michael Lewis, talking about...everything: * his new book on Sam Bankman-Fried * his daughter's death * the fresh controversy around “The Blind Side.” Some vignettes follow: [1] https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
@julie_bush Julie Bush on x
clear indication Michael Lewis still doesn't understand what they did — even after writing an entire book about it! a “run on the bank” didn't cause the FTX collapse. SBF & his co-conspirators wrote code to allow them to secretly fund their shitcoin hedge fund with customer funds
@juleshyman Julie Hyman on x
Lots of disturbing details in Lewis's new book, but the one that's sticking with me is that Sam Bankman-Fried's parents bought a German shepherd for protection that had learned to obey kill directions in German. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@alexnazaryan Alexander Nazaryan on x
“Lewis seems so attached to the protagonist of his narrative that he takes an awful lot in stride.” -@jenszalai https://www.nytimes.com/...
@joshkraushaar Josh Kraushaar on x
“This isn't a book of investigative journalism; this is Lewis's account of being a fly on the wall — a perspective that's all well and good when your subject isn't a billionaire savant who is charged with defrauding people who trusted him.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@jeffjarvis @jeffjarvis on x
Hoo boy, Michael Lewis & Walter Isaacson have lost their touch at picking heroes. What ties their two bad books is that their subjects are TESCREAL (Google it) cultists and THAT should be the story. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@macrocephalopod @macrocephalopod on x
My boring Michael Lewis take is that he's saying exactly what he needs to say in order to generate sales for his new book, and fintwit intelligentsia continually ragequoting him is providing him more publicity and more book sales which is exactly what he wants.
@coffeebreak_yt Coffeezilla on x
Michael Lewis has lost the plot. This 60 minutes interview is unhinged.
@smtuffy Sean Tuffy on x
It's amazing that the Michael Oher revelations may somehow not be the most reputation damaging thing for Michael Lewis this year, let alone in his career
@smtuffy Sean Tuffy on x
Happy “Michael Lewis gets savaged in book reviews” Day, to all who observe [image]
@samcallah Sam Callahan on x
Michael Lewis doesn't seem to understand that FTX was an exchange, not a bank, meaning it was supposed to have its users' assets backed 1:1 at all times. It shouldn't matter that there was a “run on customer deposits.” There was not a legitimate business here. It was pure fraud.
@60minutes @60minutes on x
“He becomes toxic. Like, nobody wants to talk to him. He has no friends,'” says Michael Lewis. “There is still a Sam-Bankman-Fried-shaped hole in the world that now needs filling” for someone driven by their ideals to do good on a large scale, Lewis says. https://www.cbsnews.com/…
@noahpinion @noahpinion on x
Michael Lewis just called FTX “a great real business” Are you kidding me [image]
@bradmichelson Brad Michelson on x
lol what?? SBF was trying to pay Trump $5 billion not to run again. [video]
@ramahluwalia @ramahluwalia on x
A VC tapped Michael Lewis to ‘diligence’ SBF. Michael Lewis's psych portrait of SBF seems consistent with the profile of a sociopath. So, why give a green light on the diligence? Lewis: 'He exhibits no human emotion. Let's do this!' Also, which VC fund asked Lewis for DD? [video]
@zekefaux Zeke Faux on x
New York Times reviews Michael Lewis: Read NUMBER GO UP instead [image]
@brianstelter Brian Stelter on x
Michael Lewis: “I were a better person, I would have been deeply distressed by all of this. It took about a nanosecond before I thought, ‘Oh my God. This is an incredible story.’” https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@sokane1 Sean O'Kane on x
This is one of the most embarrassing pieces of journalism I've ever encountered. https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@adamnash Adam Nash on x
“There is still a Sam-Bankman-Fried-shaped hole in the world that now needs filling” for someone driven by their ideals to do good on a large scale, Lewis says. 🤮🤮🤮 https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@nytimes @nytimes on x
“Lewis, who traveled back and forth from the Bahamas, where Bankman-Fried was based, had, in the months leading up to the disaster, a front-row seat — from which he could apparently see nothing.” @jenszalai reviews Michael Lewis's new book “Going Infinite."https://www.nytimes.com…
@trengriffin Tren Griffin on x
This is straight up theft. It's not complex. Saying this was “rounding error” isn't an excuse for stealing. Michael Lewis: “How do you not know that $8 billion that's not yours is in your private fund?” Michael Lewis is in psychological denial. https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@nikhileshde @nikhileshde on x
Good morning folks. Sam Bankman-Fried's trial on fraud and conspiracy charges begins today. In the lead up to jury selection, read what Sam had to say about FTX's collapse in his own words, by @realDannyNelson https://www.coindesk.com/...
@kenziesigalos MacKenzie Sigalos on x
Jury selection in Sam Bankman-Fried trial begins at 930a Tuesday. The 6-week trial could see surprise testimony - the government said 2 more witnesses are finalizing immunity agreements right now: [video]
@antoinegara Antoine Gara on x
My colleagues @joshckoliver and @JoeMillerJr will be covering the SBF trial and have laid out many of the key issues. It appears likely to shine a negative light on an industry many had warned was rife with fraud and rampant speculation. https://www.ft.com/...
@wired @wired on x
Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of FTX goes on trial in New York tomorrow. The trial is likely to focus on whether he, and others, consciously deceived their investors. What it won't answer is why those investors were so easy to fool. https://www.wired.com/...
@davidgura David Gura on x
Sam Bankman-Fried's trial starts this week. And if he's found guilty, SBF could spend the rest of his life in prison. Thanks to @BW's @ZekeFaux and The @NewYorker's @sheelahk, who joined me on “All Things Considered” and “Consider This,” to talk about it. https://www.npr.org/...
@lastcallcnbc @lastcallcnbc on x
The trial for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried begins tomorrow. @Kr00ney spoke with several FTX customers who still haven't gotten their money back. [video]
@squawkcnbc @squawkcnbc on x
Jury selection for Sam Bankman-Fried's trial starts tomorrow. This marks the next chapter following the collapse of his #crypto exchange FTX. Ahead of the trial, some of those impacted most by the bankruptcy are sharing their stories. @Kr00ney joins with more: [video]
@nytimes @nytimes on x
Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, is set to stand trial on Tuesday on federal charges of fraud and money laundering. The accusations have put the rest of the crypto industry on trial with him. https://www.nytimes.com/...

Chronicles

Michael Lewis depicts Sam Bankman-Fried as delusional in his new book, Going Infinite, but says SBF's explanations remain “irritatingly difficult to disprove”

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