Michael Lewis on SBF Book, Why He Won't Bet Against Bitcoin, and Fixing Our Financial System

Michael Lewis is a financial journalist and author of the new book, "Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon," about the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried and the collapse of FTX. His previous works include "The Big Short," "Liar's Poker," "The Blind Side," and "Moneyball." Lewis is also a columnist for Bloomberg View and a contributing writer to Audible. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History from Princeton and a Master’s Degree in Economics from the London School of Economics.
"Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon" a.co/d/cRrtLui
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IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Watching SBF trial
00:50 Falling into writing
3:37 Working at Solomon Brothers
5:36 Introduction to cryptocurrency, SBF
10:09 Bitcoin 2024 promo
10:50 Coinkite ColdCard Wallet promo
11:18 CrowdHealth promo
12:05 Inside the mind of SBF
15:05 SBF's massive ego
16:15 Did SBF feel guilty for hurting people?
20:22 Did SBF intend to steal people's money?
26:15 Differences between crypto, FTT tokens and Bitcoin
31:13 What's next for Binance, CZ?
36:40 SBF putting money into politics, Trump
41:49 OneGold promo
42:25 Orange Pill App promo
42:58 Bitcoin Evangelism book promo
43:47 SBF pandemic prevention and crypto regulation
46:34 SBF full of delusion
48:04 SBF's charm; "A lot of people have a price tag."
52:31 Crypto Bahamas and The Big Short connection
54:19 Natalie's favorite character: Caroline
56:50 FTX org chart
58:13 "I wouldn't short Bitcoin."
1:00:40 How do we fix the money?
1:05:28 Michael's new show for Apple TV+
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Natalie’s website talkingbitcoin.com/
Michael Lewis's website www.michaellewiswrites.com/
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Producer: Aron Bender / aron-bender
DISCLAIMER This show is for entertainment purposes only and does not give financial advice. #bitcoin #cryptocurrency #money

[@nataliebrunell]

Subscribe to never miss episodes of the Coin Stories Podcast with Natalie Brunell: kzbin.info. Beware of impersonators and scammers on KZbin and all social platforms. We will NEVER ask you for personal information or to send money anywhere. Links to our promotional partners are in the show notes. Thank you for watching!

[@BTC_Reef]

How can he seriously say that using customer funds for speculative bets is not the same as stealing? It’s literally the definition for stealing.

[@danieltodd6703]

Because he’s not as intelligent as people let him think he is.

[@didactica9326]

I think intention is possibly the missing link- the funds were intended to be given back. The problem was sbf wasn’t as smart as he imagined himself to be

[@BTC_Reef]

@@didactica9326it doesn’t matter the intention. If I go to a gas station and steal money so I can gamble it and intend to give the money back after I win, it’s still stealing

[@NappyWayz]

Micheal still has the mind of a trad-fi finance guy. So just think what the rest of them think about risk and “your” money. This is why you should self custody.

[@bahlsdeepe868]

Natalie is a wonderful interviewer. She asks the questions that the audience wants to know. Absolutely brilliant!😍

[@danieltodd6703]

Imagine taking financial advice from the guy that doesn’t think SBF stole money lmao

[@Bianca-gz4mj]

Mme Laurence est légitime et sa méthode fonctionne comme par magie Je continue à gagner chaque semaine avec sa nouvelle stratégie...

[@Lexa750]

Elle est vraiment incroyable avec ses compétences. Elle a changé mon 0.5btc en 2.1btc.

[@JA_Agathe]

Je pense que je suis béni parce que sinon je n’aurais pas rencontré quelqu’un d’aussi spectaculaire que l’experte Mme Laurence Je pense qu’elle est le meilleur courtier que j’ai jamais vu.

[@ToniLopez-hi9pe]

Je me demande toujours comment elle obtient son analyse, j'ai obtenu un bénéfice de 28 609 $ avec un capital de 4 000 $ en 16 jours de négociation avec elle.

[@Amandine749]

Je fais aussi du commerce avec elle et je gagne 2 600 $ par semaine. Toute ma famille a fait du commerce avec elle et fait des profits.

[@TinaLee-jo8be]

[@hectorg.m.3350]

Amazing guest! Thank you so much!!!😊

[@SuperDividenz]

so help me understand how this was any different than Bernie Madoff.

[@SuperDividenz]

definitely feel there is more here he had help for sure

[@SuperDividenz]

its CZs fault that FTX went down?

[@seanwebb605]

Madoff had a Ponzi scheme. His fund never made investments.

[@gannfan]

His answer to fixing the money is the best argument for Bitcoin. He is so close to getting it.

[@TennesseeHodl]

Bitcoin will help defund politicians

[@joelwoodward3663]

Thanks Nat

[@captwillard3346]

Great guest. WTH? This interview should have 1M views!

[@matthewmaguire3554]

Many many years ago The Vulcans visited planet earth… There was commingling… It had been thought that the gene had died out, but sometimes it pops up in places unexpected.

[@jensjacobfoged9147]

BTC is real-estate, not money. Hemmingway said it right.......They don´t make it anymore. As long as people want to live by the sea. It has value.

[@StanStinson]

Very interesting & informative interview.

[@seanwebb605]

At this point I am a little surprised that we aren't talking about Numbers Go Up By Zeke Faux. It is the other bestseller on this topic by an author qualified to speak on the subject. And the author directly calls out Michael Lewis. Which I found odd and a bit cheap how it was done.

[@seanwebb605]

Zeke Faux says the technology of crypto currencies i.e. blockchain is nothing more than a spread sheet.

[@Wuerritabastida]

Congratulations on the excellent content. Very didactic and objective. Cryptocurrencies are something incredible, thanks for your information I need more security to invest. There are many interesting options, but we need to analyze this market carefully to obtain good results. Thank you for the tips and information, please keep bringing good news. What crypto to invest in right now?

[@thelagecycrypto]

Btc

[@thelagecycrypto]

You should have the orientation of the trading system before you get involved in it because Crypto has been unstable

[@Peterdegraaff776]

Xlm ,sol , Bitcoin ,xrp ,Ethereum

[@kyrasedgwickofficial]

Crypto is the way to go. People should be informed as early as now since in the next 5 years it will be the one ruling

[@Justinwalka]

Definitely the way forward is to invest in crypto

[@hectorg.m.3350]

53:10 Does he mean Steve Eisman? 🤔

[@harrysonke1907]

SBF believed “the end justifies the means!” Such an old concept…the essence of utopian dreams!! Been around since the dawn of mankind, but with so little exposure in our kids “history” education the next generation has no grid to judge present day events!! So sad!!

[@NappyWayz]

20:46 Micheal still has the mind of a trad-fi finance guy. So just think what the rest of them think about risk and “your” money. This is why you should self custody.

[@seanwebb605]

The woman has a very simplistic world view and an unreasonable support of a digital currency as an answer to current problems.

[@Cough0x]

Natalie is a goat

[@gblinks6831]

Please 🙏,,,how can I make profitable investment as crypto has become dominant?

[@user-hr9yg4li9z]

I would advice anyone embarking on crypto investment to get a professional who will manage your account with less loses.I invest with a strategic crypto trader assigned by a crpto company that trades for me and returns my profit on weekly basis..

[@user-hr9yg4li9z]

MrsValerial Brooklyn,, is the strategic trader that manage my account. She's really a professional..

[@asonguezekiel.t.2510]

¶¶MrsValerial Brooklyn,, has really helped my life and entire family during last year. May the good Lord inspire you more 🙏🙏🙏 😍🥰🥳🥳.

[@mataolver]

You've just made my day guys, I've lost so much trying to invest on my own.

[@mataolver]

How do I reach out to her please?

[@A.1.2.K]

Here’s a missing piece. Every conscious thought I have comes from me. Therefore every action I ever take off a conscious thought is for me. Ultimately . Good,bad or indifferent. So. Sam unable to feel made every decision simply and purely based on one thing. Himself. With zero consideration of anyone else. Most healthy people will consider other people in their decisions. But apparently Sam was unable to do that. So there’s your answer

[@scepisle4970]

Too many adverts Natalie....

[@ronaldglen4636]

We need a Frodo not a Sam

[@knoxlowe1]

I admit that I have so far only listened to the first half of the interview. But, it's wildly obvious that SBF is simply a psychopath. That word has oddly not been used when it very clearly describes him. Here's a quote from Wikipedia on the definition of a psychopath: "Personality disorder characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits" . Could SBF be more clearly described?

[@ktownkryptoking]

😍

[@kallenstev]

I cringed every time Michael inferred that Bitcoin’s value proposition is “faith” based. He clearly needs to do more research in that respect.

[@seanwebb605]

He's right.

[@kallenstev]

@@seanwebb605 it’s a universe away from being “right” and an opinion held largely by those with the very least knowledge or time spent understanding Proof of Work and the difficulty adjustment.

[@GrumpyOldGuy777]

Author's take on SBF was a lazy joke.

[@floraposteschild4184]

Lewis wouldn't bet against Sam Bankman-Fried. And now look.

[@user-ov6wj5cx3e]

He's demonstrably a SBF Democrat shill. Laughably bad take on FTX

[@seanwebb605]

That's crap.

[@youmaarludwig5647]

Lewis is infatuated with SBF......typically american.....anywhere else in the world, he would never be taken seriously.....extemely disappointed with Lewis

[@danieltodd6703]

How can you be disappointed by the guy that wrote the bullshit that was The Blind Side lmaooo

[@willspeakman2461]

He must be a multi millionaire from his books and movie deals yet doesn't own 1 single bitcoin. He could buy 1 bitcoin and it would be like buying a new phone for him. I don't get it myself. If I ever got that rich I would want to protect my wealth as much as possible.

[@willspeakman2461]

Just wanted to add I do respect the guy. He is clearly intelligent and seems like a genuinely good person.