One of the greatest living financial writers has been linked to FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried for six months and has a book on the way
Michael Lewis’ next book is about FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, and the bestselling author has been linked to the disgraced crypto mogul for the past six months. That emerges from a report by The Ankler on Sunday.
Lewis, of course, has seen several of his books made into films. For example money ball, starring Brad Pitt, based on the author’s 2003 book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.
Bankman-Fried’s location was of major interest this weekend after he resigned as CEO of FTX on Friday as the company filed for bankruptcy. Many in the crypto world speculated that he fled to Argentina on a private jet, but he replied to a Reuters journalist with a simple “no” via text message. Bloomberg reports now suggest it is located in the Bahamas, where FTX is based.
Either way, his rapid rise and sudden fall feels like footage, and many are wondering who will get the rights to the story.
When an author of Lewis’ stature has been embedded in Bankman-Fried, it’s big news not only in book publishing but in Hollywood as well.
The Ankler’s coverage centers on an email she allegedly received from Matthew Snyder, an agent for the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in Los Angeles. Snyder reportedly sent the email to potential buyers on Friday.
According to The Andler, the email reads:
“For the past six months, Michael has been traveling with and interviewing Sam Bankman-Fried. His childhood, early success on Wall Street, effective altruism, and the creation of a crypto empire that catapulted him into the ranks of the world’s richest people in record time seemed more than enough for a signature Michael Lewis book.
“Of course, the events of the past week have provided a dramatic and surprising ending to the story. It also highlighted the rivalry between Bankman-Fried and Binance CEO Chnagpeng Zhao. Michael Lewis compares them to Crypto’s Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.
“Michael hasn’t written anything yet, but the story has gotten too big for us to wait.
“Let me know if I’ve piqued your interest.”
It seems unlikely that Bankman-Fried would be viewed as a Skywalker-type hero after this week’s events, but his rivalry with Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, founder and CEO of crypto exchange Binance, is well established.
Last weekend, a tweet from Binance’s CEO that he was selling FTX-pegged coins helped spark a wave of withdrawal requests from FTX customers. Concerns about FTX’s solvency spread quickly. Binance signed a letter of intent to acquire FTX, but then backed out just a day later, stating that the company’s issues are “outside of our control or ability to assist.” At the end of the week, FTX declared bankruptcy.
“Eventually, I might sort of have more to say about a particular sparring partner,” Bankman-Fried said in a 22-tweet thread Thursday. “But you know, glass houses. So for the time being I can only say: Well played; you won.”
Really dramatic stuff.
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