Author Michael Lewis Defends Book Amid Criticism of Sympathy Towards Sam Bankman-Fried
Author Michael Lewis has responded to critics who accuse him of being too sympathetic towards Sam Bankman-Fried in his book about the former crypto titan. In an interview with ABC News, Lewis dismissed such criticism, stating that there are multiple perspectives to consider in the trial, including his own. He likened the reaction to FTX’s collapse to a “lynch mob mentality” and expressed frustration with people who claim to know what happened without having all the information. While he refrained from explicitly assigning guilt to Bankman-Fried, Lewis emphasized that he wanted readers to arrive at their own conclusions.
The backlash against Lewis stems from his previous statements, including his denial that FTX was a Ponzi scheme during an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes.” He clarified that while FTX had separate businesses, he acknowledged the harm done to investors, including himself. Despite Lewis being one of the alleged creditors, his name did not appear in the filing listing FTX’s creditors. Lewis’ book, “Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon,” was released on the same day that Bankman-Fried’s criminal trial for fraud and conspiracy began.
