1 00:00:15,276 --> 00:00:22,556 Speaker 1: Pushkin. I want to say, hide all listeners of Against 2 00:00:22,556 --> 00:00:26,716 Speaker 1: the Rules. I know you've been patient. It's Michael Lewis here. 3 00:00:27,036 --> 00:00:28,996 Speaker 1: You've been waiting a long time for season four, and 4 00:00:28,996 --> 00:00:31,516 Speaker 1: you're gonna wait a bit more though. I've been thinking 5 00:00:31,556 --> 00:00:33,836 Speaker 1: about it a lot. But at the same time, I've 6 00:00:33,876 --> 00:00:36,276 Speaker 1: been working on a new book about the crypto Exchange 7 00:00:36,356 --> 00:00:40,156 Speaker 1: FTX and its founder Sam Bankman Freed, who I met 8 00:00:40,196 --> 00:00:42,436 Speaker 1: now about a year and a half ago, and so 9 00:00:42,476 --> 00:00:45,196 Speaker 1: I've been marinating in the story. As the story has happened, 10 00:00:48,516 --> 00:00:51,636 Speaker 1: It's recently taken some pretty dramatic turns, and I can't 11 00:00:51,676 --> 00:00:53,116 Speaker 1: give it all away. I'm not going to give very 12 00:00:53,156 --> 00:00:55,116 Speaker 1: much of it away, but it involves lots of trips 13 00:00:55,116 --> 00:00:58,116 Speaker 1: to the Bahamas and court dates and crypto trading and 14 00:00:58,316 --> 00:01:01,716 Speaker 1: ankle bracelets. I feel a real obligation to this story, 15 00:01:01,796 --> 00:01:03,996 Speaker 1: so I love it if you just hang tight while 16 00:01:03,996 --> 00:01:08,556 Speaker 1: I finished writing it. However, there's one thing I always 17 00:01:08,596 --> 00:01:10,636 Speaker 1: do when I sit down and tell a complicated story. 18 00:01:11,356 --> 00:01:12,876 Speaker 1: I do a whole lot of interviews that are just 19 00:01:12,996 --> 00:01:14,956 Speaker 1: on background stuff that's going to end up on the 20 00:01:14,996 --> 00:01:18,596 Speaker 1: cutting room floor, just to educate myself around the boundaries 21 00:01:18,596 --> 00:01:21,236 Speaker 1: of the subject. It's stuff that will just never make 22 00:01:21,236 --> 00:01:23,396 Speaker 1: it into the book, and I know that going in, 23 00:01:23,796 --> 00:01:26,676 Speaker 1: but it helps me understand the deeper context of what 24 00:01:26,716 --> 00:01:29,196 Speaker 1: my characters are going through, and I'm at that phase 25 00:01:29,316 --> 00:01:32,316 Speaker 1: right now. I'm going to let you in on these 26 00:01:32,356 --> 00:01:35,876 Speaker 1: background interviews on the record once a month. You can 27 00:01:35,916 --> 00:01:39,596 Speaker 1: listen in as I call up some esoteric expert. It 28 00:01:39,676 --> 00:01:41,996 Speaker 1: might be a crypto sleuth who sniffs out secrets on 29 00:01:42,036 --> 00:01:45,396 Speaker 1: the blockchain, or someone who studied white color crime and 30 00:01:45,476 --> 00:01:49,276 Speaker 1: whether punishments fit offenses. I'd love, for example, to talk 31 00:01:49,276 --> 00:01:51,876 Speaker 1: to regulators who can tell us what the rules actually 32 00:01:51,916 --> 00:01:54,476 Speaker 1: are and aren't for crypto firms who trade in billions 33 00:01:54,476 --> 00:01:57,596 Speaker 1: of dollars of other people's money. I'm interested in the 34 00:01:57,636 --> 00:02:01,476 Speaker 1: way crypto is influenced American politics and taking advantage of 35 00:02:01,516 --> 00:02:05,236 Speaker 1: campaign finance rules. I'm also interested in the Bahamas and 36 00:02:05,396 --> 00:02:07,716 Speaker 1: learning why what you do in the Bahamas doesn't always 37 00:02:07,716 --> 00:02:14,396 Speaker 1: stay in the Bahamas. We're calling the series on background, 38 00:02:14,516 --> 00:02:17,636 Speaker 1: as in the reporter me, Michael Lewis talking with the 39 00:02:17,676 --> 00:02:21,076 Speaker 1: people who will make the author also Michael Lewis sound 40 00:02:21,116 --> 00:02:25,116 Speaker 1: like a smarter person. The first episode drops February fourteenth, 41 00:02:25,316 --> 00:02:28,916 Speaker 1: Right here in this fee but in the meantime, if 42 00:02:28,956 --> 00:02:31,316 Speaker 1: you have any questions for me, please do let me know. 43 00:02:31,996 --> 00:02:33,836 Speaker 1: I can't talk too much about the details of the 44 00:02:33,836 --> 00:02:36,436 Speaker 1: book I'm working on, but if you have questions about 45 00:02:36,516 --> 00:02:39,956 Speaker 1: like the writing process, or what music or podcasts I'm 46 00:02:39,996 --> 00:02:44,156 Speaker 1: listening to, or about books I'm reading, or about previous episodes, 47 00:02:44,676 --> 00:02:47,396 Speaker 1: or really anything else, submitted by clicking the link in 48 00:02:47,436 --> 00:02:51,636 Speaker 1: our show notes or visiting ATR podcast dot com. That's 49 00:02:51,636 --> 00:02:56,836 Speaker 1: atr podcast dot com. I'll be back soon with the 50 00:02:56,836 --> 00:03:01,316 Speaker 1: first episode of On Background from Against the Rules. Let's 51 00:03:01,316 --> 00:03:02,396 Speaker 1: see what we can learn together.