Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 20 hours ago
This is one of our favorite conversations from the last year. On the surface, it's an interview we did with Michael Lewis to coincide with the paperback release of Going Infinite (geni.us/W1LScB1) , his book about Sam Bankman-Fried and the collapse of FTX. Michael, who spent months hovering over Sam's shoulder, believes he wasn't some malevolent grifter: he was an awkward kid undone by a “pathological ability to foist risk upon other people without asking their permission." But what we love about this episode is that it's not only about the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried. It's also about Michael's approach to writing — and living. He opens up about losing his daughter, shares what draws him to a story, and explains how taking pleasure in the world produces his best work.
🏛️ Check out Michael's latest book, Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service (geni.us/02RV8A)
🎁 Get 25% off a Next Big Idea Club subscription when you use the code PODCAST at nextbigideaclub.com
This is one of our favorite conversations from the last year. On the surface, it's an interview we did with Michael Lewis to coincide with the paperback release of Going Infinite (geni.us/W1LScB1) , his book about Sam Bankman-Fried and the collapse of FTX. Michael, who spent months hovering over Sam's shoulder, believes he wasn't some malevolent grifter: he was an awkward kid undone by a “pathological ability to foist risk upon other people without asking their permission." But what we love about this episode is that it's not only about the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried. It's also about Michael's approach to writing — and living. He opens up about losing his daughter, shares what draws him to a story, and explains how taking pleasure in the world produces his best work.
🏛️ Check out Michael's latest book, Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service (geni.us/02RV8A)
🎁 Get 25% off a Next Big Idea Club subscription when you use the code PODCAST at nextbigideaclub.com
