Catching Up to FTX

Discover the secret history of Alameda Research, FTX, and Sam Bankman-Fried In Catching Up To FTX: Lessons Learned In My Crusade Against Corruption, Fraud, and Bad Hair, celebrated YouTuber and podcaster Ben Armstrong delivers the extraordinary and compelling story of the rise and fall of FTX and its well-known founder Sam Bankman-Fried. Tracking the history of crypto exchanges from the original Mt. Gox to FTX and Binance, the author describes the history of fraud that has characterized much of the industry. Armstrong outlines the history of Alameda Research, FTX, and Sam Bankman-Fried, including a first-hand account of what he saw in the Bahamas when the indicted crypto titan was extradited from his home to face dozens of criminal and regulatory charges in the United States. He also discusses: The weird and contradictory motives that drove Sam Bankman-Fried's brazen actions A blow-by-blow account of the downfall of Alameda Research, FTX, and Sam Bankman-Fried The red flags that many ignored — and a few didn't — that preceded the collapse of FTX The perfect book for anyone interested in crypto, finance, and corporate scandal, Catching Up To FTX will earn a spot on the bookshelves of everyone looking for an intense rollercoaster of a true story.

Acknowledgments ix About the Author xi Introduction 1 1 “Unhinged”: October 20, 2022 5 2 What’s Beef? 13 3 House of Cards 19 4 Finance Needs an Upgrade 27 5 What’s at Stake? 35 6 Rugs and Revolutions: A History of Crypto Exchanges 43 7 SBF: The Man behind the Myth 53 8 FTX: A Myth Born in a Bull Market 61 9 Bear Market 2022 69 10 Contagion 75 11 Scam Bankman Fried 83 12 Whistleblowers 89 13 The Bankless Debates 97 14 A Rival Goes in for the Kill 103 15 “1) What”: The Fall of FTX 109 16 Hip-Hop Politics 115 17 My Trip to the Bahamas 121 18 Side Quests 133 19 High Stakes 141 20 Justice? 151 21 The Final Showdown 159 22 Regulators, Mount Up! 169 Epilogue: Catching Up with the Bitsquad 179 Appendix: Timeline of Events 181 Glossary of Terms 183 Notes 187 Index 195