Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried

Listen early and ad-free on Wondery+ on 5/22. Listen on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts on 6/5.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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sam Bankman-Fried was making billions. He shared the stage with world leaders and celebrities. His face appeared on billboards promoting his plans to save the world. But this carefully staged production was about to be tested when reporters started asking questions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A lunchtime chat convinces Sam the best way to save the world is to make a ton of money. All he has to do is figure out how to make that happen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sam’s crypto trading firm, Alameda Research, makes millions. But some of his closest allies start to doubt his methods. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With the success of FTX, Sam is hailed as the next Warren Buffett. But behind the scenes, there are secrets that threaten to destroy everything he’s built. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A leaked document puts Sam’s crypto empire into a tailspin. He is forced to turn to his greatest adversary for help.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As his empire lies in ruins, Sam starts telling his own side of the story. But when Caroline Ellison is spotted in New York, his problems look set to get much worse.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sam Bankman-Fried wasn’t the only one involved in the rise and fall of FTX and Alameda. David Brown, the host of the Wondery podcast Business Wars, talks to the Bloomberg reporters behind the series about how the people closest to Sam helped make him the person he is today.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Did one man’s friendship with a dolphin go way – way – too far? It’s 1987 and the British seaside town of Amble has seen much better days. So when a wild bottlenose dolphin nicknamed Freddie appears in the harbour, it feels like a miracle. Everyone wants to swim with him. But Freddie chooses one person above all others: Alan Cooper, a dedicated animal rights activist committed to freeing captive dolphins. But when Alan’s friendship with Freddie is turned against him, he finds himself in the fight of his life.Search 'Hooked on Freddie' wherever you get your podcasts. https://wondery.com/links/hooked-on-freddie/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.