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

 

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Guest:

Links

Tether

Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX

Pig butchering scams

Crypto in developing countries

Read The Episode Transcript Here