Going Infinite
Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon is a 2023 book by Michael Lewis about Sam Bankman-Fried, the alleged fraudster who is founder of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. The book's publication date, October 3, 2023, coincided with the beginning of Bankman-Fried's trial on seven counts of fraud and money laundering. The book is an intimate account of Bankman-Fried's character and relationships, and stems from hundreds of interviews and unparalleled access that continued even after FTX collapsed in 2022. The book claims that $8 billion prosecutors say lost by FTX may not have actually been stolen, and alleges that Bankman-Fried unsuccessfully sought to bribe Donald Trump to not run again for president. Going Infinite has been criticized for being excessively credulous and overly sympathetic to Bankman-Fried, and lacking in insight despite the author's access. Lewis has rejected the criticism. Synopsis Lewis met Bankman-Fried in 2021, introduced by Brad Katsuyama, head of the IEX stock exchange. Katsuyama was thinking of selling a stake of IEX to FTX. He asked Lewis to "get a read" on Bankman-Fried. Lewis did so and came away impressed. He “totally sold,” writing of Bankman-Fried that “his ambition was grandiose, but he wasn’t.” The book