39 min listen
The philosopher and the crypto king: Sam Bankman-Fried and the effective altruism delusion | Audio Long Read
FromElection Watch: The New Statesman podcast | daily throughout the UK general election
The philosopher and the crypto king: Sam Bankman-Fried and the effective altruism delusion | Audio Long Read
FromElection Watch: The New Statesman podcast | daily throughout the UK general election
ratings:
Length:
36 minutes
Released:
Sep 23, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
At the time of writing, the crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried is due to stand trial on 3 October 2023. He stands accused of fraud and money-laundering on an epic scale through his currency exchange FTX. Did he gamble with other people’s money in a bid to do the maximum good? In this week’s long read, the New Statesman’s associate editor Sophie McBain examines the relationship between Bankman-Fried and the Oxford-based effective altruism (EA) movement. The billionaire was a close associate and supporter of William MacAskill, the Scottish moral philosopher who many consider EA’s leader. It was MacAskill who had persuaded him – and many other young graduates – to earn more, in order to give more. But how much money was enough – and what should they spend it on? Was EA just “a dumb game we woke Westerners play”, as Bankman-Fried told one journalist? In conversations with EA members past and present, McBain hears how the movement was altered by its enormous wealth. As the trial of its biggest sponsor approaches, will effective altruism survive – or be swallowed by its more cynical Silicon Valley devotees? Written and read by Sophie McBain. This article originally appeared in the 22-28 September 2023 edition of the New Statesman; you can read the text version here. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, you might also like Big Tech and the quest for eternal youth, by Jenny Kleeman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Released:
Sep 23, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
The New Statesman Podcast: Episode One: The first ever episode of the New Statesman podcast, featuring political analysis, cultural reviews, interviews and more. In our first audio outing, George Eaton talks about Iain Duncan Smith and welfare cuts, Rafael Behr stares into the dark heart of ... by Election Watch: The New Statesman podcast | daily throughout the UK general election