https://www.npr.org/2022/11/30/ [login to see] /sam-bankman-fried-ftx-cnbc-dealbook-crypto
Currently the most notorious figure in the crypto industry, Sam Bankman-Fried on Wednesday claimed he "didn't try to commit fraud on anyone."
"I'm deeply sorry about what happened," said Bankman-Fried, the founder and now-former CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, during a live interview at the New York Times Dealbook Summit.
The day-long summit included high-profile guests, such as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, but many were wondering if Bankman-Fried, who committed to participate in the event before FTX imploded, would show up.
Sure enough, he did, frequently portraying himself as someone in the dark about the activities and condition of FTX and his hedge fund Alameda Research.
Bankman-Fried spoke for more than an hour, wearing his signature T-shirt and appearing apologetic when the interviewer, journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin, read messages from FTX customers who said they had lost their life savings.
"I've had a bad month," said the 30-year-old onetime darling of both Wall Street and Washington, eliciting laughter from the audience. "This is not what matters here. Like, what matters here is the millions of customers."