Image of Sam Bankman-Fried

Sam Bankman-Fried

Person

Founder of FTX, labeled a 'flash in the pan' and described as an 'Aderall addicted grifter' following the collapse of his crypto exchange.


First Mentioned

1/1/2026, 5:57:55 AM

Last Updated

1/6/2026, 5:47:55 AM

Research Retrieved

1/1/2026, 5:58:43 AM

Summary

Sam Bankman-Fried is the founder and former CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX and the quantitative trading firm Alameda Research. Following the collapse of FTX in November 2022, he became a central figure in one of the largest financial fraud cases in U.S. history. In November 2023, he was convicted on seven counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering, and was subsequently sentenced in March 2024 to 25 years in prison. Recent discussions, such as those on the All-In Podcast, highlight the ongoing controversy regarding FTX's bankruptcy proceedings, where hosts argue that depositors are not being "made whole" because their crypto assets, like Solana, are being valued at market-crash prices rather than current market rates. The hosts also suggested that certain media narratives may have been manipulated to present a more favorable view of Bankman-Fried during his legal challenges.

Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Parents

    Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried (Stanford Law Professors)

  • Education

    Bachelor of Science in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2014)

  • Date of Birth

    1992-03-05 (Note: Britannica sources cite 1992-03-06)

  • Place of Birth

    Stanford, California, United States

  • Prison Sentence

    25 years

  • Dietary Preference

    Vegan

  • Criminal Conviction

    Seven counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering

  • Financial Forfeiture

    $11 billion USD in assets

Timeline
  • Graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in physics. (Source: Britannica)

    2014-06-01

  • Cofounded the quantitative trading firm Alameda Research. (Source: Britannica)

    2017-10-01

  • Founded the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. (Source: Britannica)

    2019-05-01

  • FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy following a liquidity crisis and reports of misused customer funds. (Source: CNN)

    2022-11-11

  • Convicted on all seven counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering after a month-long trial. (Source: Britannica)

    2023-11-02

  • Sentenced to 25 years in federal prison and ordered to surrender more than $11 billion in assets. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)

    2024-03-28

  • The All-In Podcast issued a correction regarding FTX bankruptcy, noting depositors are not being made whole due to asset valuation at crash prices. (Source: Document 2b6bf10f-e753-4ea5-9c2c-da654f7a8824)

    2024-04-01

Web Search Results
  • Sam Bankman-Fried | FTX, Education, Conviction, & Prison

    Sam Bankman-Fried (born March 6, 1992, Stanford, California, U.S.) was the founder and former chief executive officer (2019–22) of FTX Trading Ltd., a cryptocurrency exchange. The exchange became the second largest of its kind, making Bankman-Fried a powerful figure within the market of digital assets and in discussions in the United States Congress regarding the industry’s regulation. It was closely tied to Alameda Research LLC, a quantitative trading firm Bankman-Fried had cofounded in 2017. [...] Bankman-Fried was born in 1992 to Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, scholars of tax law. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he received a bachelor’s degree in physics in 2014. While studying at MIT, he began engaging with “effective altruism,” a philosophical movement inspired in part by the utilitarian school of Peter Singer. The movement’s empirical approach to philanthropy justifies the accumulation of enormous sums of wealth, so long as that wealth is then [...] Bankman-Fried went on trial in October 2023, charged with seven counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering. The following month he was convicted on all charges. In March 2024 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to surrender more than $11 billion in assets. Adam Zeidan

  • Sam Bankman-Fried - Wikipedia

    Sam Bankman-Fried was born on March 5, 1992, to upper-middle class Jewish parents in Stanford, California. His parents are Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman, both professors at Stanford Law School. His maternal grandmother, Adrienne Fried Block, was a noted musicologist. His maternal grandfather, George Fried, was an administrator with the New York State Supreme Court probation department. His aunt Linda P. Fried was the dean of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. [...] 11. ^ a b "Samuel Bankman-Fried Sentenced to 25 Years for His Orchestration of Multiple Fraudulent Schemes". Justice.gov. U.S. Department of Justice. April 30, 2005. Retrieved March 29, 2024. 12. ^ "Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud". United Press International. March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024. [...] Bankman-Fried is vegan. He was raised in a Jewish family. In mid-2021 it was reported that he lived with approximately 10 roommates in a five-bedroom Bahamian penthouse bought by co-CEO of FTX Ryan Salame. After FTX's collapse, the penthouse was put up for sale for close to $40 million. Bankman-Fried had a relationship with Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison that lasted around six months and ended on April 15, 2022. While testifying against him in court in October 2023, she claimed that his

  • Amazon.com: Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon

    When Michael Lewis first met him, Sam Bankman-Fried was the world’s youngest billionaire and crypto’s Gatsby. CEOs, celebrities, and leaders of small countries all vied for his time and cash after he catapulted, practically overnight, onto the Forbes billionaire list. Who was this rumpled guy in cargo shorts and limp white socks, whose eyes twitched across Zoom meetings as he played video games on the side?

  • Former crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried is making a play ... - CNN

    Something isn't loading properly. Please check back later. Ad Feedback Business 5 min read # Former crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried is making a play for redemption. Under Trump, it’s not so far-fetched By Allison Morrow PUBLISHED FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried leaves Manhattan federal court on January 3, 2023, in New York, after he pleaded not guilty to charges that he cheated investors and looted customer deposits on his cryptocurrency trading platform. Seth Wenig/AP See all topics [...] In short: Bankman-Fried argues he wasn’t allowed to sufficiently defend himself from prosecutors’ charges that he stole money from customers to make high-risk bets through his crypto hedge fund, Alameda. He has repeatedly argued that FTX was solvent when it experienced the equivalent of a run on the bank in November 2022 but that he was not able to make his solvency case in front of the jury. [...] And from behind bars, Bankman-Fried himself has been making the media rounds, giving a phone interview to the New York Sun in February and appearing on “The Tucker Carlson Show” in March. In media appearances and on X, the former crypto billionaire and Democratic donor has projected a much more conservative bent, expressing support for the Republican Party and Trump in particular.

  • Rise, fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX at center of Michael Lewis ...

    very slowly be trickling out these positions Sam bankman freed and Lewis would end up meeting more than a hundred times over two years speaking for countless hours as our camera rolled in July note how bankman freed shuffled cards and Jack hammered his legs and avoided eye contact Lewis considers bakeman free the most challenging and fascinating character he's ever encountered this from an author who's been writing non-fiction since the 80s I would have talked about that guy the story of Sam's [...] him in his new book out this week Michael Lewis details the crash and leaves it to readers to decide if Sam bankman freed was a cryptocurrency con man in cargo shorts or a really smart guy singularly ill-equipped to run and manage a business the story will continue in a moment spring of 2022 Sam bankman freed had planted his flag in the Bahamas he decided to move his high-flying cryptocurrency exchange FTX to the islands not for the beaches but for the friendly regulatory climate with the Prime [...] # Rise, fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX at center of Michael Lewis' new book | 60 Minutes ## 60 Minutes 3950000 subscribers 6547 likes ### Description 672533 views Posted: 2 Oct 2023 Author Michael Lewis met with FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried more than 100 times. Lewis breaks down the crypto superstar’s rise and fall in his new book, “Going Infinite.” #news #sambankmanfried #sbf