Sam Bankman-Fried is still speaking at events and the community is furious

Sam Bankman-Fried is still speaking at events and the community is furious

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Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has once again drawn the ire of the crypto community, this time over his scheduled appearance at an upcoming conference in New York on November 30.

Vocal members of Crypto Twitter have asked why the former CEO of the now-bankrupt exchange continues to walk free given the events of the past month.

In a November 23 Twitter PublishBankman-Fried said he would speak with New York Times reporter Andrew Sorkin at the DealBook Summit “next Wednesday.”

The news was publicly confirmed by Sorkin, who said, “There are a lot of important questions to ask and answer. Nothing is forbidden.

Following FTX’s collapse, some members of the community had questioned whether Bankman-Fried would honor its conference commitments, including that of the DealBook Summit.

A New York Times spokesperson confirmed to Cointelegraph that Bankman-Fried was invited to its DealBook summit several months ago – long before the FTX crash – and will likely join the interview virtually from the Bahamas. , stating:

“We invited Mr. Bankman-Fried to be interviewed at the summit several months ago. At this time, we expect Mr. Bankman-Fried to participate in the interview from the Bahamas.”

According to a Nov. 11 report from Gawker, Bankman-Fried was previously listed on the speakers page as “CEO, FTX.” However, the speaker’s page now shows that his title has since been updated to “Founder, FTX”, reflecting his resignation from the post since FTX filed for bankruptcy.

Sam Bankman-Fried is at the top of the DealBook Summit speakers page. Source: The New York Times

Crypto Twitter responds

Some members of the crypto community did not take the news well, with remarks that Bankman-Fried should be in police custody instead of speaking freely at conferences.

US attorney John Deaton and founder of Crypto Law told his 229,300 Twitter followers that if US law enforcement does not arrest and charge Bankman-Fried – who is currently in the Bahamas – for fraud and theft if he enters the United States next week, then the justice system “has been compromised”.

British media personality and Bitcoin supporter Layah Heilpern told his 328,200 Twitter followers that “it’s disgusting” that Bankman-Fried is speaking on stage and not being detained.

Ryan Adams, founder of investment firm Mythos Capital and Bankless, went even further by comparing the arrest and three-month detention of Alexey Pertsev – the lead developer behind the now US-sanctioned Tornado Cash. – to the unfathomable behavior of Bankman-Fried, which is still to be studied.

Meanwhile, Real Bedford FC chairman and Bitcoin promoter Peter McCormack joked that Bankman-Fried would receive “a Nobel Prize at this rate.”

Related: Will SBF face the consequences of FTX’s mismanagement? Don’t count on it

The New York Times recently came under fire from the crypto community for writing a “leafy article on SBF”, which appeared to only scratch the surface of Bankman-Fried’s alleged frauds and crimes, and instead focused on the question of s he slept enough.

As for Bankman-Fried’s current whereabouts, Crypto Crib posted photos to his 66,900 Twitter followers late November 23rd of what appears to be Bankman-Fried eating a meal with his mother and several others. people in his Bahamas penthouse.

On November 23, United States Attorney General Merrick Garland, Merrick’s aide Kenneth Polite, and United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse called on the United States Department of Justice to launch a full-scale investigation into Bankman-Fried and other leadership roles of FTX in the collapse of FTX.

Update 02:30 UTC Nov 24: Added statement from a New York Times spokesperson.