Why Crypto’s Thriving Post-SBF, Sports Betting Crisis Deepens, Jon Stewart vs. AI
Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news, with special guest Zeke Faux of Bloomberg News and Number Go Up fame. We cover 1) Why crypto is thriving after poster boy SBF was convicted and sentenced 2) The latest rise of memcoins including dogwifhat and NFTs like CryptoDickbutts 3) Is this evidence of a deeper societal problem or just gambling? 4) The resilience of crypto, including Tether 5) Zeke's reporting on pig butchering scams 6) The rise of Nudes In Bio scams on Twitter 7) Sports betting's deepening crisis 8) Louisiana bans prop bets on college players 9) Jon Stewart's position against AI 10) Is a broader societal backlash against AI coming.
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Zeke Faux's Crypto Adventures and His Relationship With Former FTX CEO SBF - Ep. 545
Zeke Faux, author of 'Number Go Up,' shares his findings after making a deep dive into the world of crypto. From skepticism to a full-blown investigation, Faux recounts his journey that led him to the heart of crypto, meeting some of the most eccentric characters in the industry. As a Bloomberg investigative reporter, Faux brings a critical eye to the crypto sphere, unearthing the bizarre, the risky, and the downright astonishing facets of what the crypto community calls a financial revolution.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
what the book 'Number Go Up' is about
Zeke's background as an investigative reporter for Bloomberg
whether Zeke is skeptical about crypto
why Zeke thought it was a big deal to investigate Tether, the issuer of USDT
whether he had a conclusion on the fact that he couldn't find anything big about Tether
why Zeke says that Sam Bankman-Fried had a sloppy approach to risk management
why Zeke believes that SBF did not give so much money to charity even though he's an effective altruist
how projects like STEPN and Axie Infinity are 'clearly not the future of finance,' according to Zeke
how SBF had such an open relationship with the media that helped him when the FTX collapse happened
what Zeke found out investigating pig butchering scams in Cambodia
how Zeke’s attempt to buy a Mutant Ape to get into an Ape Fest in New York City taught him about crypto’s bad user experience
Thank you to our sponsors!
Crypto.com
Arbitrum Foundation
Toku
LayerZero
Guest:
Zeke Faux, author of ‘Number Go Up’
Bloomberg: 11 Hours With Sam Bankman-Fried: Inside the Bahamian Penthouse After FTX’s Fall
Links
Tether
Unchained:
Is Tether a Fraud? Its Bank Says It's Not
Tether, the Multibillion-Dollar Stablecoin at the Heart of the Crypto Ecosystem
Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX
Unchained:
Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC
SBF Behind Bars: Why Revoked Bail Is a Big Deal for Crypto’s Biggest Trial
Pig butchering scams
Unchained: How This Prosecutor Is Spearheading the Fight Against Crypto ‘Pig Butchering’ Scams
Crypto in developing countries
Bitcoin in El Salvador: Why Would Cypherpunks Support Government-Mandated Bitcoin Adoption?
Anita Posch on Why ‘Bitcoin Is a Tool for Freedom’ – Especially in Africa
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Inside crypto’s wild rise and fall with “Number Go Up” author Zeke Faux | E1807
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Today’s show:
Zeke Faux, the author of “Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall,” joins Jason to discuss crypto’s crazy rise and fall (3:58), how SBF learned to play the game (16:22), red flags at Tether (26:13), and so much more!
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Time stamps:
(0:00) Zeke Faux, the author of “Number Go Up” joins Jason
(3:58) Meeting Sam Bankman-Fried in the Bahamas and first impressions
(10:23) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist
(11:30) SBF, his colleagues, and a hint of substance abuse
(16:22) The group psychosis and how they learned to play the game
(24:51) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist
(26:13) Operations and red flags at Tether
(35:44) CLA - Get started with CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors now at https://claconnect.com/tech
(37:15) Revisiting Zeke’s investigative journalism in Cambodia
(44:16) From organized crime to legitimate business
(46:59) Terraform Labs and the collapse of Luna
(49:05) The VC perspective and regulations in place
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Buy Number Go Up: https://www.amazon.com/Number-Go-Up-Cryptos-Staggering/dp/0593443810
FOLLOW Zeke: https://twitter.com/ZekeFaux
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Tether’s hidden billions with Bloomberg’s Zeke Faux + Startup Checklist E1 | E1300
First, Jason chats with Bloomberg reporter Zeke Faux about his latest investigative piece "Tether's $69 Billion Mystery"(1:04). Then, Jason launches our news series "Startup Checklist" (31:49) which explores the things you should do to be prepared to launch a company.