In this first episode, author David Z. Morris talks about his book, Stealing the Future, that covers the rise and fall of SBF and the culture of rationalism, EA, and longtermism that he was surrounded by. Morris argues FTX’s collapse was essentially a massive margin call fueled by misuse of customer deposits and a delusion that he did no wrong. The conversation defines and critiques effective altruism, rationalism, and longtermism, linking them to techno-utopian claims, AI “doom” narratives, and investment-style thinking that can justify harming present people for hypothetical future gains.

EPISODE LINKS
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2UMiRkUarXGDnDHPc5NDKC
- Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defi-dave/id1882414143
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thedefidavepod
- X/Twitter: https://x.com/defidave
- Substack: https://substack.com/@defidave

GUEST LINKS
- Stealing The Future: Sam Bankman-Fried, Elite Fraud, and the Cult of Techno-Utopia on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Future-Bankman-Fried-Elite-Techno-Utopia/dp/1917516088
- X/Twitter: https://x.com/davidzmorris
- Substack: https://substack.com/@davidzmorris

SPONSOR
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro Clips
00:31 Podcast Launch and Guest
02:18 Reporting the SBF Trial
04:30 Stealing the Future Thesis
06:09 Defining EA and Rationalism
10:35 Rationalism and AI Doom
13:50 EA Blind Spots and Leverage
17:56 Longtermism Explained
23:00 Gödel Maxwell and AI Limits
28:53 SBF Upbringing and Parents
32:30 Why SBF Was an Idiot
36:47 Gambling Mentality and Risk
40:54 EA as Performative Cover
41:39 Caroline at Trial
44:38 EA Roots and Alameda
51:26 CZ and the Fuse
52:53 FTT Collateral Explained
57:30 Buying Out Binance
01:01:29 AI Longtermism Scam
01:10:26 Critics and Resources
01:13:33 Wrap Up