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☆ How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Sentence Compares With Other White-Collar Cases
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( David Yaffe-Bellany | More About David Yaffe-Bellany | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two years in prison for tax and securities violations. The country’s most notorious white-collar fraudsters — like Bernie Madoff and Elizabeth Holmes — have received a range of punishments for their crimes, from relatively short prison terms to effectively a life sentence. On Thursday, Sam Bankman-Fried, the onetime cryptocurrency mogul, joined their ranks, receiving a 25-year sentence for fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. In legal filings, prosecutors cited 13 examples of white-collar prosecutions that involved a loss of more than $100 million. In all but two of those cases, the defendant was sentenced to 40 years or more.

Persons: Bernie Madoff, Elizabeth Holmes —, Sam Bankman, Fried, FTX

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's parents are begging a judge to keep him out of prison, warning their son's social awkwardness could put him in 'extreme danger'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Bankman-Fried's lawyers filed a sentencing submission, asking for a prison sentence of no longer than 78 months — or six-and-a-half-years. The US Probation Office, which issues sentencing reports that judges typically rely on, recommended 100 years behind bars — which Bankman-Fried's lawyers called "barbaric." Advertisement"That recommendation is grotesque," Bankman-Fried's lawyers wrote. Sam Bankman-Fried's approach to veganism illustrated both his selflessness and awkwardness, his younger brother, Gabriel Bankman-Fried, wrote in a letter to the judge. In the sentencing submission, Bankman-Fried's lawyers argue that "the most reasonable estimate" for how much his victims lost was "zero."

Persons: —, Sam Bankman, Barbara Fried, Joseph Bankman, Gabriel Bankman, neurodiversity, Sam, Bankman, Lewis Kaplan, Fried, Jane Rosenberg, FTX, Michael M Santiago, Carmine Simpson, Simpson, That's, Gabriel, Seth Wenig, Marc Mukasey, Torrey Young, weren't, Barbara Fried —, John J, Ray III, John Ray Organizations: Service, Business, US, Prosecutors, Alameda Research, Office, Stanford Law, MIT, Wall, of Prisons, San, United, AP Locations: Manhattan, FTX, Brooklyn, Bahamas

☆ As Sam Bankman-Fried awaits prison sentence, FTX customers await a surprise: full repayment
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Government exhibit in the case against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. Lawyers representing the bankruptcy estate of FTX told a judge in Delaware last week that they expect to fully repay customers and creditors with legitimate claims. After the dust settled from FTX's bankruptcy, Solana saw a huge run-up in its price, and it continued to rally after the September report. The bankruptcy estate of FTX has been looking to sell its Anthropic stake, according to a court filing this month. For FTX customers, being made whole, according to a judge's ruling, means getting the cash equivalent of what their crypto was worth in November 2022.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, FTX, Andrew Dietderich, —, Joseph Bankman, Barbara Fried, Brendan Mcdermid, John Ray III, Michael Kives, Braden Perry, FTX's, Ray, we're, It's, Solana, Lewis Kaplan, Elizabeth Williams, Michael Lewis, Lewis, IOUs, Perry, SBF, Renato Mariotti, Mariotti Organizations: Bankman, Federal Court, Reuters, K5 Global, SpaceX, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, CNBC, Alameda Research, U.S . Justice Department's Securities, Commodities, SEC Chari Locations: FTX, Delaware, Plenty, Palo Alto , California, New York City, U.S, Bankman, Solana, Alameda, FTX's, Anthropic, New York, Brooklyn

☆ Bitcoin was up 155% in 2023—but should you invest? Here's what experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Cryptocurrency investors spent much of 2023 waiting for good news. By the time news broke on Jan. 10 that 11 new bitcoin ETFs would begin trading, crypto investors were taking a victory lap, having bid the coin's price up by 155% in calendar year 2023. "They don't have the ability to put these bitcoin ETFs into client discretionary portfolios, yet," Sigel says. Expect more new crypto ETFs, too — and in different flavors. Experts say these might be as simple as portfolios that combine bitcoin exposure with mainstream investments, such as those in the S&P 500.

Persons: —, Brian Vendig, That's, Matthew Sigel, Sigel, Todd Rosenbluth Organizations: SEC, stoke, MJP Wealth Locations: Westport , Connecticut

Here's the state of play globally for crypto regulation and enforcement in 2023 — and a look at what to expect in 2024. "However, much of their work has involved providing guidance to the industry through enforcement actions," continued Levin. Crypto market participants nevertheless hope that the spate of legal challenges brought to crypto companies in 2023 will bring clarity in the form of new regulations. The U.S.'s dominant role in global finance and its focus on consumer protection plays a crucial role in its leading position in crypto regulation enforcement. The region has been increasingly warming to crypto assets, despite a broader anti-crypto push from China, which banned bitcoin trading and mining in 2021.

Persons: Al Drago, Binance, Sam Bankman, Renato Mariotti, Mariotti, Richard Levin, Nelson Mullins Riley, Levin, ada, Changpeng Zhao, Damian Williams, Brian Armstrong, Armstrong, Alyse Killeen, Scarborough's Levin, FinCEN, Killeen, Diem, USDC, Braden Perry, it's, Kennyhertz Perry, Perry, Bafin Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Bloomberg, Getty, Regulators, Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S, Alameda Research, U.S . Justice Department's Securities, Commodities, CNBC, Capitol, SEC, Futures Trading Commission, Department of Justice, Scarborough, CFTC, Protocol Labs, Southern, of, Stillmark, Meta, Visa, Mastercard, U.S ., European, IRS, European Union, EU, France's Financial Markets Authority, AMF, Treasury, Monetary Authority of, Three Arrows, Terra Labs, Terra, Hong Kong Securities, Futures Commission, SFC, OSL Locations: Washington, Europe, Asia, U.S, Alameda, of New York, European, Crypto, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, Monetary Authority of Singapore, China, East, Africa

WASHINGTON (AP) — While the scandals in the cryptocurrency industry seem to never end, Washington policymakers appear to have little interest in pushing through legislation to codify the structure of the industry. The latest shoe to drop is Binance’s multibillion dollar settlement with U.S. authorities and the resignation of its CEO this week. When cryptocurrencies collapsed and a number of companies failed last year, Congress considered multiple approaches for how to regulate the industry in the future. Brown has been highly skeptical of cryptocurrencies as a concept and he’s been generally reluctant to put Congress’ blessing on them through legislation. Yesterday’s development marks the same inflection point that we saw earlier at the intersection of the .com and post-.com eras.”

Persons: Sam Bankman, cryptocurrencies, Janet Yellen, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Binance, General Merrick Garland, — Binance, Debbie Stabenow, John Boozman, Sen, Sherrod Brown, Brown, He’s, ” Brown, Fried, can’t, ”, Dennis Kelleher, Yiannis Giokas Organizations: WASHINGTON, Treasury, White, Biden Administration, Binance, U.S . Treasury, U.S, Securities and Exchange Commission, Coinbase, SEC, PayPal, Futures Trading Commission, Agriculture Committee, U.S ., Financial Services, Senate, Consumer, Better, Moody’s Analytics, U.S . Authorities Locations: Washington, United States, Cayman Islands, Ohio, stablecoins, U.S

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried tried to pin his fraud scheme on his closest friends. Then they turned on him for it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

A jury found Sam Bankman-Fried guilty in his fraud trial over the collapse of FTX. One by one, his friends flipped to work with the prosecution and threw Bankman-Fried under a much bigger bus. That's how a jury found him guilty of seven counts in his federal fraud trial in downtown Manhattan on Thursday evening. AdvertisementAdvertisementSingh, for example, testified he was "blindsided and horrified" when he found out in November that Alameda had used FTX customer money. The sentencing schedule may depend on a second criminal trial Bankman-Fried faces for alleged illegal campaign contributions.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, SBF, —, FTX, –, Nicolas Roos, Jim Angel, Angel, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, Bankman, Singh, blindsided, Ellison, Sam, Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, Wang, Singh —, Mark Cohen, Cohen, who'd, Adam Yedidia, Sun, deflating, they're, Chelsea Jia Feng, Danielle Sassoon, Roos Organizations: Service, Prosecutors, MIT, Georgetown, Financial Markets, Alameda, Bankman Locations: FTX, Alameda, Manhattan, Bankman

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's ex-friends and top lieutenants all demolished his criminal defense from the witness stand
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Sam Bankman-Fried's defense attorneys have argued that FTX's collapse is complicated and he didn't know everything. AdvertisementAdvertisementDuring opening statements at Sam Bankman-Fried's trial, it quickly became clear that prosecutors and his defense attorneys had very different approaches. But Bankman-Fried's attorneys may convince jurors that Bankman-Fried genuinely believed his actions were acceptable in the wild-west cryptocurrency industry. The challenge for Bankman-Fried's attorneys is to convince jurors that he didn't know about any wrongdoing. "Sam directed me to," Ellison testified.

Persons: Sam Bankman, They've, —, — Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh —, Thane Rehn, Rehn, Mark Cohen, Ellison, Cohen, FTX, Crypto, it's, Sam Bankman Fried, Craig Ruttle, Sarah Krissoff, Cozen O'Connor, Fried, Krissoff, Singh, Wang, Paul Tuchmann, Wiggin, Dana, Sam, Caroline Ellison, Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, Gary, Sun, He's Organizations: Service, Prosecutors, Alameda Research, Alameda Locations: Manhattan, Washington, Bankman, Alameda, New York, FTX, Bahamas

☆ 'I'd been suicidal for days': Sam Bankman-Fried lieutenant testifies about immense pressure to keep FTX crypto scam going — before it all crashed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

He testified at the Sam Bankman-Fried trial that he was 'suicidal' over the crypto scam. AdvertisementAdvertisement"I've always been intimidated by Sam," Singh testified Monday. Before the September 2022 realization that Alameda was taking FTX customer money, Singh had participated in fraudulent activity in other ways. When he returned, the FTX CEO told Singh that he believed he could get $5 billion more in investments, Singh testified. As the chaos continued to roil FTX, Bankman-Fried, Ellison, and other executives pointed fingers at each other while employees and customers demanded answers, Singh said.

Persons: Nishad Singh, Sam Bankman, —, Singh, Gary Wang, Caroline Ellison, Wang, Fried, unsurprised, Ellison —, Ellison, FTX wouldn't, he'd, Gabe Bankman, Adam Yedidia, Singh —, Ryan Salame —, Singh's, Sam, FTX, Mary Altaffer, Anthony Scaramucci, Seth Wenig, Salame —, funneling, Coindesk, FTX —, Binance, Jane Rosenberg Bankman, Bankman, I'd, roil Organizations: Service, Alameda Research, Bankman, Alameda, AP, Democratic, Prosecutors, REUTERS Locations: Alameda, FTX, Bahamas, Manhattan, New York, Bankman

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried believed his wild hair helped him get higher bonuses early in his career and was 'very valuable,' Caroline Ellison testifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Grace Kay | Jacob Shamsian | Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Caroline Ellison told jurors that Sam Bankman-Fried curated his image, especially his messy hair. Ellison said he believed his hair was "essential to his image" and was the reason for past bonuses. AdvertisementAdvertisementSam Bankman-Fried had a carefully curated image — unruly hair and all — according to his ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison. Additionally, Bankman-Fried encouraged Ellison to have a Twitter in order to generate positive press for the company, she said. Bankman-Fried told Yahoo Finance Live in April 2022 before FTX collapsed.

Persons: Caroline Ellison, Sam Bankman, Fried, Ellison, —, FTX, didn't, — Ellison, he'd, Jane Street, Bankman, Sam Bankman Fried, Michael Lewis, It's, Lewis Organizations: Toyota Corolla, Service, Alameda Research, Honda, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, FTX Locations: Manhattan, Alameda, Bankman, Bahamas, FTX

☆ Key takeaways from Sam Bankman-Fried’s first week in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And Alameda was the only FTX customer allowed to carry a negative balance. Christian Everdell and Mark Cohen, attorneys for Sam Bankman-Fried, exit court in New York on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2023. Star witness coming TuesdayCaroline Ellison, Alameda’s CEO and Bankman-Fried’s on-and-off girlfriend, is expected to take the stand when court resumes on Tuesday. Ellison, 28, is considered the prosecution’s star witness, given her position as the head of Alameda and her personal knowledge of Bankman-Fried’s behavior. According to court documents, when one employee asks who made the decision, Ellison responds: “Um … Sam, I guess.”

Persons: Sam Bankman, Gary Wang, Wang, SBF, Mark Cohen, Fried, FTX, Christian Everdell, Stephanie Keith, Everdell, “ FTX, ” Wang, ” FTX, Caroline Ellison, Ellison, Sam Organizations: New, New York CNN, Alameda Research, Bankman, Alameda, Bloomberg, Getty, “ Locations: New York, Alameda

☆ Michael Lewis is hitting back at critics who feel he's been too sympathetic to Sam Bankman-Fried: 'I think they're crazy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Those who think he was being too sympathetic to Sam Bankman-Fried are "crazy," says author Michael Lewis. AdvertisementAdvertisementAuthor Michael Lewis has a strong message for critics who say he has been too sympathetic to Sam Bankman-Fried in his book about the fallen cyrpto mogul. "I think they're crazy," Lewis told ABC News on Wednesday. Lewis told ABC he has avoided answering the question of whether he feels Bankman-Fried has knowingly committed fraud — "because I want the reader to answer that question." "He took my money, it's mixed up in there," Lewis told ABC, without elaborating further.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Michael Lewis, Lewis, —, Linsey Davis, Fried, CBS's, FTX, it's Organizations: Service, ABC News, ABC, CBS, Alameda Research Locations: Alameda

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried decided at the last minute he didn't want to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos, leaving organizers scrambling
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried was supposed to speak at the WEF's flagship event in Davos. However, he decided not to show up the night before the event, per Michael Lewis' biography on the disgraced FTX founder. Lewis wrote SBF would cancel on people "because he'd done some math in his head that proved that you weren't worth the time." "CEOs had flown to the Bahamas under the mistaken impression that Sam had agreed to buy their companies," Lewis wrote in his book. The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is the organization's flagship event held at the end of each January in Davos, Switzerland.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Michael Lewis, Lewis, SBF, —, Sam, It's, Mark Cohen Organizations: Service, Economic, Political, Bankman Locations: Davos, Davos —, Bahamas, Switzerland, Dubai

☆ Michael Lewis says being around Sam Bankman-Fried was a downgrade from his more materialistic life: 'The food was worse. The company was worse.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Michael Lewis, the author of "Going Infinite," said being around SBF was a lifestyle "downgrade." Lewis met Sam Bankman-Fried more than 100 times and interviewed his FTX colleagues for the book. So I always felt it was a downgrade moving into his world," Lewis told Emily Donaldson in a Wednesday report in The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper. I would have had as much trouble with this crowd when I was 25," Lewis told Donaldson. Lewis told CBS's "60 Minutes" the crypto exchange would still be making "tons of money" if there hadn't been a run on customer deposits.

Persons: Michael Lewis, Lewis, Sam Bankman, —, Emily Donaldson, Fried, Donaldson, CBS's Organizations: Service, Canadian, Toyota Corolla, Bankman Locations: SBF, The Globe, Bahamas, Hong Kong

☆ FTX co-founder admits he and Sam Bankman-Fried committed fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —A key witness for prosecutors in the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried testified that both he and Bankman-Fried committed multiple financial crimes related to their oversight of now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. Gary Wang, who co-founded FTX with Bankman-Fried, told jurors — in compliance with an earlier plea deal — that he was guilty of wire fraud, securities fraud and commodities fraud, and that he committed those crimes under the direction of Bankman-Fried. Alameda’s ‘unlimited’ slush fundUnlike regular customers of FTX — a platform for individual investors and institutions to trade crypto — Alameda was allowed to run a negative balance and make “unlimited withdrawals” from FTX customers, Wang said. In response, “Sam said something like, ‘We were bulletproof last year; we’re not bulletproof this year,’” Yedidia told the jury. The $8 billion represented the money that FTX customers would be owed if they decided to withdraw their deposits, Yedidia said.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Gary Wang, Wang, FTX, haven’t, Mark Cohen, Nicolas Roos, ” Wang, empaneled, ‘, Adam Yedidia, Yedidia, SBF, “ Sam, ’ ” Yedidia, “, Sam, ” Yedidia, MIT undergrads, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Alameda Research, Prosecutors, MIT Locations: New York, Alameda, FTX

☆ Michael Lewis was worried Sam Bankman-Fried being in a room with his own dog was an accident waiting to happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

FTX cofounder Sam Bankman-Fried did not know how to instruct his guard dog to kill on command, according to Michael Lewis' new book. "When Sam was in a room with the dog, it always felt as if some accident was waiting to happen," Lewis wrote in the book. AdvertisementAdvertisementFTX cofounder Sam Bankman-Fried did not know how to instruct his guard dog to kill on command, according to Michael Lewis' biography on the fallen crypto titan. "And so when Sam was in a room with the dog, it always felt as if some accident was waiting to happen," Lewis wrote. "It would have been very Sam Bankman-Fried to have been eaten by his own guard dog."

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Michael Lewis, Sam, Lewis, —, Sandor —, Sandor Organizations: Service, Bankman, Forbes

☆ Why Wall Street investors are freaking out
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Here’s why investors are freaking out:Rates and the Fed: A surge in corporate debt sales and rising bond yields have sent stocks lower. Moody’s, the only major credit rating firm to keep a perfect score for the United States, has warned that a government shutdown would be “credit negative” for the United States. Geopolitical risks are still elevated as Russia’s war on Ukraine continues and relations between the United States and China remain tense. October also marks the end of the fiscal year for many mutual funds in the United States. Statistical evidence doesn’t quite support the phenomenon, but the level of superstitious caution on Wall Street is real.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, ”, Michael Reinking, Mark Twain, ” Sam Bankman, Sam Bankman, Allison Morrow, Judge Lewis Kaplan, “, ” Kaplan, SFB, SBF, Caroline Ellison, Bernie Madoff, Chris Isidore, Vanessa Yurkevich Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Dow, Federal Reserve, Fed, Markets, Republicans, “, Prosecutors, GM, Ford, Motors, United Auto Workers, Michigan Assembly, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, UAW Locations: New York, America’s Congress, United States, Ukraine, China, Manhattan, Fairfax, Kansas City , Kansas, Toledo, Lockport, Michigan, Wayne , Michigan, Kokomo , Indiana

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial has started. Here’s what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, a onetime crypto billionaire who stands accused of orchestrating a multibillion-dollar fraud, kicked off Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan. Here are the key things to know about the case, and what we might see over the next several weeks at the trial. Prosecutors opted in June to sever five other charges that were brought after Bankman-Fried’s extradition from the Bahamas, where FTX was based. Sam Bankman-Fried leaving the Bahamas on December 21, 2022, being extradited to the US to face charges. He was arrested in December in the Bahamas on charges including fraud and conspiracy and extradited to the United States in January.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Judge Lewis Kaplan, ”, “, ” Kaplan, SFB, SBF, Caroline Ellison, Bernie Madoff, FTX, Tom Brady, Larry David, Fried, Bankman, Ellison, Howard Fischer, Moses Singer, Fischer, Lewis Kaplan, he’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Prosecutors, Alameda Research, Super, Royal Bahamas Police Force, Investors, Bankman, Coindesk, Alameda, New York Times, Securities and Exchange, Enron, Metropolitan Detention Locations: New York, Manhattan, FTX, Bahamas, Miami, Alameda, United States, Brooklyn

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried was a horrible manager, says 'Big Short' author Michael Lewis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Bankman-Fried was a "horrible" manager, Michael Lewis told "60 Minutes." Lewis is the author of "Going Infinite," a new book about Bankman-Fried, which is set for release on Tuesday. AdvertisementAdvertisementSam Bankman-Fried was a "horrible" manager, according to author Michael Lewis, who has written a new book about the cofounder of failed crypto exchange FTX. He told Lewis FTX didn't really have a board. And there was nobody there to say, like, 'Don't, don't do that,'" the author added.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Michael Lewis, Lewis, SBF's, —, Bankman, Lewis FTX didn't, it's, FTX, George Stephanopoulos Organizations: Service, CBS, ABC News, Bankman

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's dad emailed his son that he didn't know 'what to say' after finding he'd be paid $200,000 instead of $1 million by FTX — then looped in SBF's mom, lawsuit claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried's dad was not happy about his $200,000 salary at now-bankrupt crypto firm FTX, a lawsuit claims. In emails cited in the lawsuit, Joseph Bankman said he believed he would be paid $1 million by FTX. He then looped in Barbara Fried, his partner and Bankman-Fried's mom. Bankman and Fried enjoyed the benefits of more than $90,000 in expenses, paid for by FTX Trading, for their Bahamas residence." FTX group and Bankman-Fried's trading firm Alameda Research filed for bankruptcy in November 2022 with the founder stepping down from his role as CEO.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Joseph Bankman, Barbara Fried, FTX, Bankman, Fried, Gee, Sam, Barbara, Sean Heckler, Michael Tremonte, Joe Organizations: FTX, Service, Alameda Ltd, Stanford University, Alameda Research Locations: Wall, Silicon, FTX, Alameda, Bahamas

☆ Softbank is planning to invest in OpenAI, report says, after Masayoshi Son said he uses ChatGPT every day
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Boss Masayoshi Son has been very enthusiastic about the chatbot, telling investors he uses it daily. The Japanese giant's Vision Fund is going on the offensive over AI despite some high-profile losses. The potential investment comes after boss Son told Softbank shareholders he was "chatting with ChatGPT everyday," in comments reported by Reuters . Son has also met with OpenAI boss Sam Altman in recent months, and told Softbank investors in June that he speaks to the AI startup boss "almost everyday." OpenAI and Softbank did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider, made outside regular US working hours.

Persons: Boss Masayoshi, Masayoshi, Son, ChatGPT, Sam Altman, Jesus, Yoda, Softbank Organizations: Financial Times, Service, Reuters, Wall Street, Vision, ARM Locations: Wall, Silicon, OpenAI, British

☆ Coinbase launches nonprofit crypto advocacy group
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Stand with Crypto Alliance is America’s first independent advocacy group for the crypto community, Coinbase says. Crypto regulation: Questions of who and howA central sticking point is the question of how crypto tokens should be regulated. The Securities and Exchange Commission, Wall Street’s top cop, contends that most crypto products are investment contracts and therefore fall under its jurisdiction — an argument the crypto industry is fighting. ‘Recess is over’The Stand With Crypto Alliance aims to mobilize “the full force of the decentralized crypto community to tell lawmakers: Recess is over,” Shirzad wrote in a blog post announcing the nonprofit. The Coinbase-backed nonprofit is an outgrowth of Crypto435, an earlier Coinbase campaign to try to organize the crypto community around legislative issues.

Persons: New York CNN —, Coinbase, Faryar, ” Crypto, —, Sam Bankman, Fried, ” Shirzad, we’ve, Shirzad Organizations: New, New York CNN, Crypto, CNN Business, Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Ripple Labs, Financial Services Committee, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Crypto Alliance Locations: New York

☆ Shaq was finally served in FTX lawsuit over the weekend, after a 3-month chase
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Will Gendron | Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Shaquille O'Neal was finally served in an FTX lawsuit over the weekend following a three month chase. Shaquille O'Neal was served papers over the weekend in a lawsuit involving the fallen crypto firm FTX — after a three month chase, according to a law firm representing investors in the suit. "Plaintiffs in the billion $ FTX class action case just served @SHAQ outside his house," The Moskowitz Law Firm tweeted Sunday night. O'Neal had evaded getting served the lawsuit for three months, according to additional tweets from the law firm. Following the collapse of FTX, O'Neal tried to separate himself from the fiasco, noting to CNBC that he was "just a paid spokesperson."

☆ Upfront's Mark Suster has become the star of LA's booming startup scene. Not everyone is a fan.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

"I have worked with more than 50 VCs and nobody comes close to what it is like to work with Mark Suster," said a founder backed by Suster. "Mark and the Upfront Summit helped put LA tech and investing on the map," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, the cofounder of DreamWorks and WndrCo. Several years ago, a founder whose startup Suster invested in was in a conference room rehearsing their presentation for the Upfront Summit. If you're going to put him on your board, you're letting the fox guard the henhouse. "If you're going to put him on your board, you're letting the fox guard the henhouse."

☆ NBA’s Miami Heat sheds FTX from its arena’s name
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —The home arena for NBA’s Miami Heat is getting rid of FTX in its name, months after the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange’s fall from grace. Security software company Kaseya acquired naming rights for the formerly named FTX Arena in a $117 million deal. The Miami Heat and Miami-Dade County ended their relationship with FTX and began to search for a new naming rights partner the day the cryptocurrency exchange filed for bankruptcy. The arena was renamed FTX Arena in 2021 after the company reportedly entered a $135 million, 19-year deal. Kaseya is headquartered in Miami and is the first local company to receive naming rights to the arena, according to the statement.

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