Guilty On All Counts | Judging Sam: The Trial of SBF | Michael Lewis

The jury, after about 4 and a half hours of deliberation, has delivered its verdict - guilty on all seven counts. Lidia Jean Kott was in the courtroom when it happened. Her conversation with financial reporter Jacob Goldstein was recorded on November 2.
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ABOUT AGAINST THE RULES
Journalist and bestselling author Michael Lewis takes a searing look at what’s happened to fairness in American life through the lens of people who depend on public trust.
ABOUT MICHAEL LEWIS
Michael Lewis has published many New York Times bestselling books, including The Fifth Risk, Flash Boys, and The Big Short. Movie versions of The Big Short, Moneyball, and The Blind Side were all nominated for Academy Awards. He grew up in New Orleans and remains deeply interested and involved in the city but now lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, Tabitha Soren, and their three children. Against the Rules is first show with Michael Lewis as the podcast host.
ABOUT PUSHKIN INDUSTRIES
Pushkin Industries is an audio production company dedicated to creating premium content in a collaborative environment. Co-founded by Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg in 2018, Pushkin has launched seven new shows into the top 10 on Apple Podcasts (Against the Rules, The Happiness Lab, Solvable, Cautionary Tales, Deep Cover, The Last Archive, and Lost Hills), in addition to producing the hugely successful Revisionist History. Pushkin’s growing audiobook catalogue includes includes the bestselling biography “Fauci,” by Michael Specter, “Hasta La Vista, America,” Kurt Andersen’s parody Trump farewell speech performed by Alec Baldwin, "Takeover" by Noah Feldman, and “Talking to Strangers,” from Pushkin co-founder Malcolm Gladwell. Pushkin is dedicated to producing audio in any format that challenges listeners and inspires curiosity and joy.
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[@jackasswhiskyandpintobeans9344]

Micheal Lewis stated on ABC News that, "Finding intent is the tricky part." It wasn't tricky after all.

[@Mark-K37]

Intent was everywhere. Michael didn't want to see it

[@MsCardio1]

It was tricky only for Michael, who seems to be blinded to this punk crook!!!

[@sukitrebek]

Is Michael Lewis going to revise his message? The trial and the verdict seems to contradict his portrayal of Sam

[@swann433]

Of course not. These jokers never admit they're wrong. He just wanted the $ like all parasites...

[@oisinquinn9469]

So the love letter to the jury didn't help? 😢

[@georgesotiriou7051]

What a fucking joke Michael is?

[@carterrennerfeldt1607]

It's telling that Lewis is not present for this episode. Maybe he's at home taking down his SBF shrine??

[@petercofrancesco9812]

Lewis strikes me as an opportunist. He's happy as long as his book sells, whether he got it wrong seems incidental.

[@georgesotiriou7051]

I think his next book will be titled ΄΄Is Sam the real Jesus Christ?΄΄

[@andrewlm5677]

I wanted to hear what Michael Lewis had to say. Does he still believe his intimate access gives him unique insights into SBF’s innocence or that it blinded him to an obvious truth?

[@watcherofthewest8597]

Whenever I see a picture of SBFs parents I feel sympathy for them. Just from a human experience, it's got to be horrific the weight of emotions on them. But when my heart goes out to them, my head reminds me that these two were finance lawyers who write papers about governments, people and companies financial responsibilities. Years pushing political causes, educating students and socializing in silicon valley and Stanford. And the first chance they got to get their hands on money, they bought political and media power, Bought mansions and enriched themselves to the tune of tens of millions.

[@onyhow]

They're being sued by FTX. Can't give any sympathy unless that lawsuit clears them.

[@georgesotiriou7051]

Absolutely it's not like they benefited in any way. Except the 10-15 million Sam wired to them for being around. My heart bleeds for them. WTF are you talking about?

[@marketalpha5426]

I have been incredibly impressed with Lydia Jean... She made me feel like I was literally in the court room as the verdict was read. She describes things perfectly.. thank you

[@miguel_guadman]

It appears a jury of SBF's peers was able to look past SBF's deception to see the truth in a matter of hours. Will Michael finally admit he misread SBF? I've read all of Michael's books except this one. I can't keep my collection, much less buy another book, without a mea culpa from Michael.

[@seanwebb605]

So you haven't read the book and don't understand Lewis' thoughts on the man? Interesting.

[@Living_Life242]

@@seanwebb605He’s had recent televised interviews fawning over SBF. When I saw the interview I was certain that it must have been a year old and any moment we were gonna cut back to the present where he explained that he had been fooled just like everyone else. But nope. He was the last guy at the party still drinking the kool-aid even as it became clear to everyone else that Sam was a massive fraud who publicly admitted that he was illegally mingling FTX depositor funds with Alameda investor funds and it was “first come first serve” to get their money out. There is no justifying that.

[@sandworm9528]

Definitely read the book before demanding an apology, it's a good read

[@Living_Life242]

@@sandworm9528 Nah. I used to love the Harry Potter series, but since JK went bigoted coocoo I lost any interest in her work. Apparently she wrote this enormous book about how a transphobe who “definitely isn’t her” gets murdered and she’s the victim and BooHoo! But I haven’t read it so my opinions of her no longer matter I guess? 🤷 Oh well. It’s a bit sad that someone I used to like turned out to be so awful and entitled, but I can move on.

[@sandworm9528]

@@Living_Life242 news flash: your opinion never mattered

[@swann433]

Wait ....didn't Michael Lewis say sbf isn't guilty? That he was just misunderstood? That he was a great guy? Where is Lewis to admit he was wrong as hell? And that he wrote a book on sbf just to make a few bucks?

[@oisinquinn9469]

Michael called SBFs crooked lawyer who was involved in poker fraud "the only adult in the room". Dan Friedberg.

[@waylonjenninz]

Now that the trial is over, the hosts of this podcast can go get some milk and cookies.

[@Philosophe422]

crickets 😂

[@Paul-wd8cz]

I've always liked Michael Lewis' writing, he has a way of bringing the humaity to complex financial issues. There was a wonderful Vanity Fair article about the housing crash in Ireland that was one of the first pieces of his that I remember reading. I hope being on the wrong side of this verdict will not impeed his future writing.

[@SydneySewerat]

Dunno about that,,Lewis's brand is almost as tarnished as SBF's.

[@onyhow]

Meh. Him blaming Oher is already bad...now this? With his alternate breathing apparatus being deep-cleaned by SBF's waste disposal rod? I hope he really starts to reflect on his screwups.

[@venericanone]

There's still time for him to admit he was wrong. That would help.

[@alexhubble]

Michael, stick with SBF, there's at least one book in a psychological profile. Honestly, maybe two.

[@jakebradminster709]

With the verdict out I bet Michael Lewis is going to disappear like the billion$ at FTX.

[@lug.5329]

Now, more people know that Lewis is just a yarn spinner. Someone please wipe his tears for Sam.

[@br9377]

We Stan LJ!! More of her after the trial is over pls.

[@DeeDeeCHAUNCEY]

Michael Lewis is a joke. No credibility. Makes me rethink everything he ever wrote.

[@artmaltman]

MICHAEL! Should they pursue an autism angle on appeal?

[@victorybeginsinthegarden]

If autistic people commit crimes they should be held accountable

[@artmaltman]

@@victorybeginsinthegarden Yes. I've been thinking though that it puts his behaviors in a different interpretation.

[@victorybeginsinthegarden]

@@artmaltman the fraud was next level and brazen. There is no excuse

[@BloggyG]

Of course he will appeal, but it will be fruitless. And, I will predict that he will likely end now plead out on the charges he still faces. As to the autism thing, I seriously doubt that the condition correlates at all with criminal propensity.

[@miguel_guadman]

What happened to the time when people took ownership for their mistakes and were swiftly held to account? When did excuses become normalized? I hope this sends a signal to people and their parents that society has norms of behavior and no one is above the law or excused from it.