Going Infinite

The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon

De: Michael Lewis

Narrado por: Michael Lewis

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 Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

Going Infinite is in many ways Lewis at his best. He marshals a complex global story without losing sight of the delightful and revealing human details. He is a world-class noticer … Lewis is a generous writer with a humane intelligence, and it is to his credit that he doesn’t reach for easy cynicism or cheap effects. (Jesse Armstrong)

Going Infinite is wildly entertaining, surprising multiple times on pretty much every page, but it adds up to a sad story, even a tragedy, for its central character and for all the people who lost so much thanks to his actions… Lewis tries to answer the first question he was asked about Bankman-Fried: who was this guy? The question of his guilt or innocence Lewis leaves to the criminal justice system. I think that’s good practice, given that the trial is happening right now. For what it’s worth, I see no contradiction between the person described in Going Infinite and the things SBF is accused of having done. In fact I think the book makes it easier to understand how and why he did what he allegedly did. (John Lanchester)

Life is what happens between Michael Lewis books. (Michael Hofmann)

Unexpectedly great

No real interest in Crypto but thought if anyone could make it interesting it would be Michael Lewis. He did

Excellent

Fascinating “inside” perspective of “Sam’s world”. I think this is one of Micheal Lewis’s best books. I couldn’t stop listening to it and I’m definitely going to listen to it again.

SBF

The middle was the best part, the part where Sam and other crypto players actions, moves and feuds are explored. The opening made Sam sound too much like a super genius, but maybe it’s true…The end, the author notes he does not want to influence readers opinions and wants them to form their own, but shortly thereafter very clearly gives his views and thoughts, might just be my reading preference or style , but found that strange and different to Lewis many other books. Overall an interesting listen, but not a classic.

Well told story

But was overly lenient on someone who committed a heinous crime. This “genius” whose only crime seemed to be his inability to empathise with those he worked with

Another hagiography by Lewis, but fun

it is not as ass-kissing as other people say, but I strongly suggest that you read "Number Go Up" and "Easy Money" for a more balanced perspective

that said, the book is well written and gripping as per usual for ML