‘Big Short’ author Michael Lewis almost ready to publish book on SBF

Michael Lewis, the best-selling author of The big short And Money ballhas revealed that he is almost done writing his book on Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) and the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange.

The upcoming book has the title Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Magnate, and Lewis initially stumbled upon the subject of Bankman-Fried in late 2021, after a friend asked him to meet and read the founder of FTX.

Speaking at the 2023 Bitcoin Conference in Miami on May 19, Lewis did not offer a specific publication date, but he did indicate that he wants the book out around the time the SBF criminal trial begins in October.

However, a quick search on Amazon shows that the book has a tentative release date of October 3.

Lewis was also reportedly close to finishing the book right before FTX infamously imploded in November 2022 and subsequent criminal charges against SBF were filed, adding a whole new angle to the story behind the former billionaire crypto mogul.

The stories of SBF and FTX

Lewis talked about the writing process while speaking at the Bitcoin conference, suggesting that the FTX drama ultimately saved the book.

“I thought ‘I don’t have a book,’” he said, adding:

“I had this conversation with this kind of person that I used as a sounding board … and he said, ‘Your problem is you don’t have a third act. You have the first two acts, but you don’t have a third act.’ And I said, “That’s right. I don’t know how to end it.” A week later, FTX exploded. I was so grateful.”

The author didn’t want to go into too many details about the book, of course, but did note that he was able to get a first-hand look at the collapse of FTX as it happened.

“It’s meant to read like a piece of fiction,” he said, adding, “If you didn’t know anything about crypto. If you didn’t even know who Sam Bankman-Fried was. You might think ‘this is just a made-up story ‘, he said.

Notably, Lewis also revealed to Bitcoin Miami that he owns a modest amount of Bitcoin (BTC) which was all locked up in the FTX bankruptcy.

Shit I’m tired sorry this is Michael Lewis of course!

— Joe Nakamoto (@JoeNakamoto) May 19, 2023

Given that Lewis was able to provide an engaging and in-depth analysis of key players and moments surrounding the 2008 housing bubble crisis in The Big Short, his next book on SBF will no doubt contain some interesting insights.

Related: The Twitter partnership created a “symbiosis,” says the CEO of eToro US | Bitcoin Miami 2023

Speaking at the conference, Lewis revealed that he interviewed everyone from SBF’s inner circle and employees, to government officials in both the Bahamas and the US.

He also had access to SBF for two years, with FTX founder Lewis allowing him to interview while under house arrest in Paolo Alto.

magazine: Ordinals Have Made Bitcoin a Worse Version of Ethereum — Can We Fix This?