Listen Now: Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried

Explicit content warning

06/05/23 • 9 min

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.

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?

Listen to Spellcaster: Wondery.fm/SC_WKD

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.

Listen to Spellcaster: Wondery.fm/SC_WKD

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Previous Episode

Wondery Presents - Flipping The Bird: Elon vs Twitter

When Elon Musk posted a video of himself arriving at Twitter HQ carrying a white sink along with the message “let that sink in!” It marked the end of a dramatic takeover. Musk had gone from Twitter critic to “Chief Twit” in the space of just a few months but his arrival didn’t put an end to questions about his motives. Musk had earned a reputation as a business maverick. From PayPal to Tesla to SpaceX, his name was synonymous with big, earth-shattering ideas. So, what did he want with a social media platform? And was this all really in the name of free speech...or was this all in the name of Elon Musk?

From Wondery, the makers of WeCrashed and In God We Lust, comes the wild story of how the richest man alive took charge of the world’s “digital public square.”

Listen to Flipping The Bird: Wondery.fm/FTB_WKD

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Next Episode

Introducing: Something Was Wrong

The hardest true crime story to report on is... your own.

The sixteenth season of Something Was Wrong features host Tiffany Reese’s firsthand account of surviving a childhood mired with abuse and uncertainty, and the eventual murder of her beloved baby brother, Bobby. Tiffany uncovers layers of her family’s secret history throughout the season. Her goal is to use her own experience to continue empowering victims of manipulation, coercion, familial abuse, and police brutality, as well as enhance the safe, victim-centered space she has already cultivated. In season sixteen, listeners will come to understand Tiffany’s truly personal stake in victim advocacy.

Listen to Something Was Wrong: Wondery.fm/SWW_WKD

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.