Listen Ad-free

Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried

Wondery | Bloomberg

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.


You can binge all episodes of Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried exclusively and ad-free on Wondery+. Find Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

read less

Our Editor's Take

Sam Bankman-Fried was young, had amassed billions of dollars, and wanted to use his money for good. Then came the day when everything he'd built collapsed. The Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried podcast tells his story. Was this well-intentioned do-gooder and entrepreneur a criminal in disguise all along? Where did his billions disappear to, and what was he guilty of? Listeners can follow along as the podcast unravels its mystery piece by piece.

Like many wealthy Silicon Valley business people, Sam wore sandals and shorts. He played video games for hours on end. FTX, his cryptocurrency exchange startup, was at the height of success. Suddenly, in 2022, FTX declared bankruptcy. Sam fled the country. But was his money gone, or was it waiting for him?

Sam is at the center of what the US government considers one of history's most significant fraud schemes. People recall him as unassuming and passionate about helping the world. Yet he could also take offense and cut off friendships. He would delete people from his life and become abrasive and rude. When FTX lost everything, its employees tried to save themselves from ruin. But had Sam been planning this collapse from the start?

Bloomberg reporter Hannah Miller traces Sam's story back to the beginning. She talks with experts about his history, friendships, and those who helped him with FTX. When Sam started sharing his story after his arrest, his alleged lies and deception became more plain. What follows is a tale of leaked documents, secrets, and the reporters who asked one question too many.

Did Sam know the police were coming for him when he lounged in his apartment in the Bahamas? Is he innocent or guilty? Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman- Fried tries to answer these questions. New episodes of this true crime podcast arrive weekly, with the latest information on what is happening in these cases.

read less
BusinessBusiness

Episodes