Wondery and Bloomberg Announce Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, Unraveling the FTX Crypto Scandal

From Wondery and Bloomberg – the creators behind the award-winning The Shrink Next Door – comes the new six-episode podcast Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, launching May 22. Hosted by Bloomberg crypto and tech reporter Hannah Miller, Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried takes listeners on the unbelievable ride of young crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, who quickly gained fame and fortune from celebrities and world leaders before his business empire came crashing down. The first two episodes will debut on May 22 on Wondery+ and the Bloomberg Terminal, and will be available on Amazon Music and everywhere you get your podcasts starting June 5, with new episodes released weekly on Mondays. Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music starting June 5.

With a promise to change the world, Sam Bankman-Fried created FTX and set up the crypto exchange to be unconventionally run by himself and his college friends. What could go wrong? Through FTX, Bankman-Fried was able to shake the hands of world leaders and rub elbows with Hollywood’s elite, quickly making him a billionaire before he turned 30. But, as the hype bubbled up, Binance—FTX’s rival company—called Bankman-Fried’s bluff, kicking off a “run on the bank,” and ultimately starting the young billionaire’s downward spiral. FTX crashed, top venture capitalists and celebrity investors lost millions, and Bankman-Fried ended up detained and on trial.

Host Hannah Miller and Bloomberg colleagues Max Chafkin and Annie Massa dive deep into the story of one of the biggest fraud cases in years, with access to Bankman-Fried before the collapse of FTX, and Caroline Ellison, the CEO of FTX sister company Alameda Research and ex-girlfriend of Bankman-Fried.

Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried is the latest Wondery podcast that unpacks a massive business scandal defined by high stakes and larger-than-life characters, following in the footsteps of hit series WeCrashed and Business Wars. Bloomberg brings its deep knowledge of the business world and award-winning journalists who worked on podcasts including Foundering and The Big Take.

Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried is a Wondery and Bloomberg co-production.

About Wondery

Wondery, an Amazon company, is a premium podcast studio known for character-driven, binge-worthy stories including Dr. Death, British Scandal, Even the Rich, and Business Wars, and distribution of hit partner shows SmartLess, My Favorite Murder, Morbid, and How I Built This. Wondery was behind eight of the “Top 25 New Shows of 2022”, according to Podtrac, including Twin Flames, Fed Up, and Will be Wild. Over 50 shows from Wondery have hit No. 1 on Apple Podcasts, including Scamfluencers and Twin Flames. Many Wondery podcasts have been adapted for scripted television or streaming series, including Dr. Death and Joe vs Carole on Peacock and The Shrink Next Door and WeCrashed on Apple TV+. Wondery has gained critical acclaim and commercial success for its immersive approach to sonic, emotionally driven storytelling.

About Bloomberg Media

Bloomberg Media is a leading, global, multi-platform brand that provides decision-makers with timely news, analysis and intelligence on business, finance, technology, climate change, politics and more. Powered by a newsroom of over 2,700 journalists and analysts, it reaches influential audiences worldwide across every platform including digital, social, TV, radio, print and live events. Bloomberg Media is a division of Bloomberg LP. Visit BloombergMedia.com for more information.