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A review by jakezuke
Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon by Michael Lewis
1.0
The Infinite Apologies for the Crypto Con Artist
What a shame that Michael Lewis, the renowned author of some truly great books like [b:Moneyball|1301|Moneyball|Michael Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388176510l/1301._SY75_.jpg|416305] and [b:The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine|26889576|The Big Short Inside the Doomsday Machine|Michael Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446581171l/26889576._SY75_.jpg|6654434] fall for the hollow charms of one of the most notorious figures in the cryptocurrency debacle. In Going Infinite, Lewis seems to have been led astray, much like the investors and enthusiasts who fell for the grand illusion spun by Sam Bankman-Fried.
Lewis’s infatuation with the so-called “effective altruism” narrative, especially when considering the overwhelming evidence of Bankman-Fried’s deceit and the morally bankrupt individuals in his orbit, is perplexing. Where is the "effective altruism" in paying Tom Brady and Steph Curry 10s-of-millions of dollars to get a handful of hours of face time with them? It's more vanity than virtue, an angle sorely missing from this book.
What Going Infinite truly lacks is a critical examination of the real victims—those ordinary people who lost everything while Bankman-Fried and the cast of shady FTX characters cashed in. Instead of continuing the tired trope of the “new economy wunderkind,” Lewis had the opportunity to shine a light on the countless lives destroyed by FTX’s collapse and opine on how we can spot these con artists in the future. Sadly, he chose, consciously or not, to become yet another voice in the chorus of apologists that are all too frequent when talking frauds at this scale. Glad he didn't write a book on Bernie Madoff. Lewis may have petitioned the Vatican for sainthood.
The amount of wilful ignorance that Lewis had to show in the face of facts shows that even the smart can be duped by the sociopaths. This book shines an undeserving favourable light on the crypto bros that continue to this day to scam, steal, pump-and-dump, and rugpull their way to tainted fortune. Save yourself the infinite disappointment and skip this one.
What a shame that Michael Lewis, the renowned author of some truly great books like [b:Moneyball|1301|Moneyball|Michael Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388176510l/1301._SY75_.jpg|416305] and [b:The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine|26889576|The Big Short Inside the Doomsday Machine|Michael Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446581171l/26889576._SY75_.jpg|6654434] fall for the hollow charms of one of the most notorious figures in the cryptocurrency debacle. In Going Infinite, Lewis seems to have been led astray, much like the investors and enthusiasts who fell for the grand illusion spun by Sam Bankman-Fried.
Lewis’s infatuation with the so-called “effective altruism” narrative, especially when considering the overwhelming evidence of Bankman-Fried’s deceit and the morally bankrupt individuals in his orbit, is perplexing. Where is the "effective altruism" in paying Tom Brady and Steph Curry 10s-of-millions of dollars to get a handful of hours of face time with them? It's more vanity than virtue, an angle sorely missing from this book.
What Going Infinite truly lacks is a critical examination of the real victims—those ordinary people who lost everything while Bankman-Fried and the cast of shady FTX characters cashed in. Instead of continuing the tired trope of the “new economy wunderkind,” Lewis had the opportunity to shine a light on the countless lives destroyed by FTX’s collapse and opine on how we can spot these con artists in the future. Sadly, he chose, consciously or not, to become yet another voice in the chorus of apologists that are all too frequent when talking frauds at this scale. Glad he didn't write a book on Bernie Madoff. Lewis may have petitioned the Vatican for sainthood.
The amount of wilful ignorance that Lewis had to show in the face of facts shows that even the smart can be duped by the sociopaths. This book shines an undeserving favourable light on the crypto bros that continue to this day to scam, steal, pump-and-dump, and rugpull their way to tainted fortune. Save yourself the infinite disappointment and skip this one.