Going Infinite
The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon
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Going Infinite
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Narrated by:
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Michael Lewis
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By:
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Michael Lewis
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
'I asked him how much it would take for him to sell FTX and go do something other than make money. He thought the question over. "One hundred and fifty billion dollars," he finally said-though he added that he had use for "infinity dollars"...'
Sam Bankman-Fried wasn't just rich. Before he turned thirty he'd become the world's youngest billionaire, making a record fortune in the crypto frenzy. CEOs, celebrities and world leaders vied for his time. At one point he considered paying off the entire national debt of the Bahamas so he could take his business there.
Then it all fell apart.
Who was this Gatsby of the crypto world, a rumpled guy in cargo shorts, whose eyes twitched across TV interviews as he played video games on the side, who even his million-dollar investors still found a mystery? What gave him such an extraordinary ability to make money - and how did his empire collapse so spectacularly?
Michael Lewis was there when it happened, having got to know Bankman-Fried during his epic rise. In Going Infinite he tells us a story like no other, taking us through the mind-bending trajectory of a character who never liked the rules and was allowed to live by his own. Both psychological portrait of a preternaturally gifted 'thinking machine', and wild financial roller-coaster ride, this is a twenty-first-century epic of high-frequency trading and even higher stakes, of crypto mania and insane amounts of money, of hubris and downfall. No one could tell it better.
©2023 Michael Lewis (P)2023 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about Going Infinite
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- RSJ
- 16-01-24
A borderline hagiography
Not one of his best. Little depth of explanation of the people or events, and no real challenge of the Effective Altruism motivation purportedly underpinning SBF /FTX story.
A disappointment compared to his other works.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jannes Klaas
- 31-10-23
Fun story, poor journalism
I wish the author had waited for the trial and published with full information. E.g. he keeps repeating that FTX made $1bn in revenue but evidence from the trial suggested there were backdated trades (aka fraud) to make that number happen. You have been lied to Michael, and you didn’t take the time to find out. Great storytelling and performance though
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr Adam D Godfrey
- 27-11-23
Fascinating story
I had no idea of the back story on this and I was glued to the entire story. Such interesting people and some much going on in just 3 years!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazonian
- 18-11-24
Absolutely Fascinating
This book is a riveting read both on the human scale and the vastness of the Crypto market successes. There were times, early on, when I had to listen twice to a section to understand the unfamiliar subject matter. However the rest of the revelations more than make the effort worthwhile. I won't spoil it for you, you must read it for yourself.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 08-10-23
A fall from journalistic grace
This falls considerably short of the journalistic rigour and intensity of all Lewis' previous works.
I kept waiting for the tables to turn and Lewis to label his mistake once the crimes became obvious; but it never came.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Phil Tweed
- 03-11-23
Lewis provides characters - then let’s you judge
Michael Lewis has provided a fascinating glimpse of the goings on at FTX, but his writing is driven, as always by the characters and their motivations / behaviours. He’s not intending to provide a final conclusion and allows the different ‘players’ to surmise their position as the entire operation disintegrates.
Some reviews stating “poor journalism” etc. are missing the purpose of the book. It’s to shine a light and let the reader decide. I don’t believe he has “jumped the shark” at all.
Excellent listed and of the same high standard as so much of his prior works.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- connor s.
- 12-01-24
Great
Interesting story a good insight in to Sam’s world and crypto. I would have like more on the come up story
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Nick
- 16-08-24
A very good audiobook, but fails to get into the detail
Like most of ML’s books it is a great listen, fast paced and fun with some really good prose which keeps you engaged. However, it doesn’t ever go into the details. You never fully can understand exactly what went wrong, just the general overview. The ending therefore feels very abrupt. No comments or judgements made on the actors, either, despite being criminals or morally dubious actors in the downfall
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- At this for too long.
- 06-10-23
Far from his best work, sycophantic.
Rose tinted glasses make red flags just flags.
Michael Lewis was a force in the unvarnished truth story telling, now he’s just another celeb writer seeking relevance (walk on part in Billions!).
Oh dear.
There are better analyses of the crypto game.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-10-23
A fair assessment
As much as most people have been told to hate this book, I must commend Michael Lewis for having the guts to go against the stream and write what he deems a fair assessment of SBF. He took a lot of criticism from it but stuck by his interpretations. The book does well.
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