Book Thread

[Natsinpwc]

What did he do?

[welch]

I just started Michael Lewis's new book, Going Infinite, about Sam Bankman-Fried. A reviewer in The Guardian says that Lewis began with an admiration for "SBF", just as he began "Moneyball" with an admiration for Billy Beane. In that case, Lewis was right: "I know what you're doing. You are arbitraging player value, as you see real value, against..."

Here is the Guardian review, which discusses all of Lewis's work, including Blind Side: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/oct/03/michael-lewis-sam-bankman-fried-crypto-going-infinite

The Post carried a snip from Going Infinite, a section that suggests that SBF did not really understand crypto-currency when he started Alameda Research and FTX.

And bothe the Post and the NY Times have been carrying daily reports from the trial.

[HalfSmokes]

What did he do?

First he sided hard with the Touhys and implied Oher had CTE. Then he released Going Infinite which was pretty obviously written to make SBF a hero and edited just enough to make it a bit ambiguous.

[Natsinpwc]

First he sided hard with the Touhys and implied Oher had CTE. Then he released Going Infinite which was pretty obviously written to make SBF a hero and edited just enough to make it a bit ambiguous.

Ok. He should have just said the Touehys did some good for Oher and he did not consider the implications of the conservatorship.  It was obviously designed to be to their financial benefit.

Have not kept up with SBF. He seems a slimy guy.

[GburgNatsFan]

There's a really good podcast on SBF, or, rather, on the meltdown, from PJ Vogt. He was the more interesting host on Reply-all, got fired because he was kind of an jerk to his co-workers.  His new podcast is called Search Engine.

It's an easy listen.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-did-the-8-billion-dollars-go/id1614253637?i=1000629625896

Ok. He should have just said the Touehys did some good for Oher and he did not consider the implications of the conservatorship.  It was obviously designed to be to their financial benefit.

Have not kept up with SBF. He seems a slimy guy.

[skippy1999]

Has any author destroyed their credibility faster than Michael Lewis?

I was sooooo looking forward to getting the inside scoop from his book but it's apparently fan fiction, sooooo disappointed!!!!!

[skippy1999]

There's a really good podcast on SBF, or, rather, on the meltdown, from PJ Vogt. He was the more interesting host on Reply-all, got fired because he was kind of an jerk to his co-workers.  His new podcast is called Search Engine.

It's an easy listen.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-did-the-8-billion-dollars-go/id1614253637?i=1000629625896

Awesome, looking forward to listening to this. Thanks Gburg!

[UMDNats]

First he sided hard with the Touhys and implied Oher had CTE. Then he released Going Infinite which was pretty obviously written to make SBF a hero and edited just enough to make it a bit ambiguous.

Yeah Michael Lewis seems like a total douchebag which ultimately isn't surprising. Moneyball is one of my favorite books ever but his open criticism of Oher and basically just fanfic'ng SBF shows his true colors. Guy sucks.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I listened to a quick interview with Lewis the other night. He said that SBF would never have been in finance in prior generations. Most likely would have been a high school teacher, but with the rise of quants and analytics, he was sort of drafted by his first job and fell into crypto as one of the clients. Wasn't sharp enough to realize he didn't need the hedge fund where he syphoned of bucks from FTX. My impression was the he thought SBF wasn't a great businessman with a tragic flaw but rather a guy who fell into an opportunity but really didn't understand what he was supposed to do when he had it. Lewis didn't sound impressed with either SBF or the people would listen to his insights except as the cost of taking a check from him.

[HalfSmokes]

I listened to a quick interview with Lewis the other night. He said that SBF would never have been in finance in prior generations. Most likely would have been a high school teacher, but with the rise of quants and analytics, he was sort of drafted by his first job and fell into crypto as one of the clients. Wasn't sharp enough to realize he didn't need the hedge fund where he syphoned of bucks from FTX. My impression was the he thought SBF wasn't a great businessman with a tragic flaw but rather a guy who fell into an opportunity but really didn't understand what he was supposed to do when he had it. Lewis didn't sound impressed with either SBF or the people would listen to his insights except as the cost of taking a check from him.

Did he forget about LTCM- he wrote about it.

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/24/magazine/how-the-eggheads-cracked.html

I think SBF is much smarter than Lewis give him credit for and that he had a much better idea of what he was doing. He just got in too deep and didn't have a way out

[dracnal]

Did he forget about LTCM- he wrote about it.

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/24/magazine/how-the-eggheads-cracked.html

I think SBF is much smarter than Lewis give him credit for and that he had a much better idea of what he was doing. He just got in too deep and didn't have a way out

I honestly don't know enough about the guy to say if he is smart, and where his talents lie. I will say that they do not lie understanding financial crimes or scams, what is illegal, and what you shouldn't openly tell people who do finance for a living in an interview:

https://coingeek.com/sam-bankman-fried-reveals-how-defi-works-like-ponzi-scheme/

[tomterp]

Been digging into "The Last Manager - How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball" by John W. Miller (not Jon Miller).

Great read.  Makes me long for someone like him who would drill the Nats' defense into shape.  Obsessed with flawless execution of the fundamentals. 

[Natsinpwc]

Read the Eastern Stars by Mark Kurlansky.  About Dominican baseball and specifically San Pedro de Macaris.  Lots of information also on Dominican political and social history also. Good book. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Have not read it yet but the WaPo gave a favorable review to Elaine Pagels latest on what motivated his followers and others to preserve (and ignore) various details about Jesus at the time of the New Testament and other contemporary writings.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/04/15/miracles-and-wonder-jesus-elain-pagels/

Good example is the different approach Mark and Matthew take to birth narratives.