Going Infinite

The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon

De: Michael Lewis

Narrado por: Michael Lewis

AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

With a new afterword on Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial and its aftermath

One of the New Yorker’s Best Books of 2023 • One of PureWow’s 42 Books to Gift in 2023 This Year • One of Fortune’s Best Crypto Books of 2023

“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.” ―Jesse Armstrong, writer and creator of HBO’s Succession, Times Literary Supplement

“A stupefyingly pleasurable book to read.” ―Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker

“Going Infinite is an instant classic.” ―Helen Lewis, The Atlantic

“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.” ―John Lanchester, London Review of Books

“Will join Digital Gold as one of the all-time best crypto books.”―Jeff John Roberts, Fortune

“A wry, engaging writer and a gifted storyteller.” ―Julia M. Klein, Los Angeles Times

“It may be easy to take for granted how entertainingly [Michael Lewis] pulls it off again in Going Infinite.” ―Brett Martin, GQ

From the best-selling author of The Big Short and Flash Boys, the story of FTX’s spectacular collapse and the enigmatic founder at its center.

When Michael Lewis first met him, Sam Bankman-Fried was the world’s youngest billionaire and crypto’s Gatsby. CEOs, celebrities, and leaders of small countries all vied for his time and cash after he catapulted, practically overnight, onto the Forbes billionaire list. Who was this rumpled guy in cargo shorts and limp white socks, whose eyes twitched across Zoom meetings as he played video games on the side?

In Going Infinite Lewis sets out to answer this question, taking readers into the mind of Bankman-Fried, whose rise and fall offers an education in high-frequency trading, cryptocurrencies, philanthropy, bankruptcy, and the justice system. Both psychological portrait and financial roller-coaster ride, Going Infinite is Michael Lewis at the top of his game, tracing the mind-bending trajectory of a character who never liked the rules and was allowed to live by his own―until it all came undone.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Michael Lewis (P)2023 Audible, Inc.

Too close to the source

First off, it's always great to get an author-narration.

Second, the author does seem to be too close to his subjects in this story, and the conclusion mostly presents their narrative uncritically. Meanwhile, he's extremely critical of the investigation for not breaking protocol to talk to SBF about what happened.

Misunderstood Book

A lot of the comments are bashing Lewis for being too pro-SBF. I didn’t read it that way, I saw it as a good character piece on a really interesting person. People just want cartoon villains. SPF’s greatest flaw was that he was inept at people management and constantly disinterested in matters pertaining running a corporation. Everything about FTX screams inept organization more than orchestrated con. People just want a cartoon villain because people need to believe that those in power belong there because they deserve it. That the people investing in SBF were rational actors and not clouded by their own bias. Loved this book adding it to my shelf

Better than the reviews

I’m frustrated that the popular consensus seems to be that Michael Lewis was wholly taken in by SBF. I think they miss the entire point of the story. This is well worth a listen if you have any interest in the background of the downfall of FTX.

Excellent History of SBF

Great story! This is one of the largest fraud cases in America, and Michael Lewis does the retelling justice.

Lewis Is Amazing

What an amazing story! SBF is a classic sociopath with concomitant BS utilitarian views to justify his behavior. He is also on the spectrum, which Lewis notes. This is a cautionary tale of the perils of liberal do-goodism as a mask for a form of greed. Lewis, as ever, tells the story brilliantly.