Why people recommend it
Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon by Michael Lewis is an investigative non-fiction book that explores the meteoric rise and catastrophic collapse of cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried and his trading empire, FTX. The book was featured prominently on My First Million, where Shaan Puri commended Michael Lewis as an extraordinary author capable of brilliantly chronicling complex financial downfalls. Additionally, Freakonomics Radio dedicated an entire episode analyzing the explosive subject matter, featuring extended discussions with Michael Lewis himself. The host explored the intricate narrative details of the book, noting the profound difficulty in separating Bankman-Fried's blatantly illegal activities from his sheer sloppiness and bizarre personal eccentricities. The podcast highlighted passages from the text tracing the story back to 2017 when Bankman-Fried abruptly quit his position at Jane Street Capital to launch his crypto firm, Alameda Research. The host also discussed Bankman-Fried's staggering ambition to accumulate infinite wealth, which ultimately inspired the title of Lewis's book, while analyzing the entrepreneur's vast political spending. By reading direct excerpts from the publication, the episode underscored Bankman-Fried's deeply entrenched view that internal self-reflection and discussions regarding the devastating real-world consequences of his actions on others were ultimately futile, cementing the book as a definitive examination of modern financial hubris.
Who recommended it
- Shaan Puri Discussed
Shaan Puri — 1 mention
“Michael Lewis is an amazing author wrote about ftxs um downfall”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 12
“His books include Liars Poker, Moneyball, The Big Short, Flash Boys, and now, Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon.”
“The thing is, as you read Michael Lewis's book, it's hard to separate Bankman-Fried's illegal behaviors from the ones that were just sloppy or weird.”
“The story really begins in 2017 when Bankman-Fried quit his job at the trading firm Jane Street Capital to start his own crypto trading firm, Alameda Research, as Lewis's book makes clear.”
“Here is a passage from Going Infinite.”
“He ultimately decided to make as much money as possible; his personal goal was infinity dollars, thus the title of Michael Lewis's book.”
“But his political spending went in other directions too. Here again is Michael Lewis, author of Going Infinite.”
“Here's a passage from Going Infinite: Sam had long since decided that any discussions about his inner life and its consequences for others were futile.”
“And I think I could be wrong about this; it's possible they canceled him because they just decided they didn't need him, but I think between the time they teed him up and the time they called him, they read my book and they saw that he presented the same kind of problem I would present.”
“There is a particularly revealing scene, particularly sad scene toward the end of Lewis's book.”
“The book is called 'Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon' by Michael Lewis.”
“We speak with Michael Lewis about the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried and Lewis's new book on the topic called 'Going Infinite.' That's next time on the show.”
“And that Michael Lewis book on Sam Bankman-Fried has just been published; it's called 'Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon.'”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
- Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
- Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt
- Liar's Poker
- The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and what whether it's Flash Boys or Going Infinite uh leads you to wonder about what these companies are doing.”