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Why we think Sam Bankman-Fried is a Type 3
Deceptive image-building. Despite being responsible for one of the biggest frauds in history, he worked hard crafting his image as a responsible player in the crypto world prior to the November 2022 downfall of his firm. He did this by talking about the safety measures that his firm, FTX, was taking and by appearing in front of Congress to talk about crypto regulation.
Interest in making money, rather than the underlying technology. In speaking about why he got into crypto, he has shared that he did it because he saw a great trading opportunity, rather than because of a belief in the blockchain technology.
Self-promoting pursuits. He put a lot of effort into increasing his own status and the status of his company. He did this by buying the naming rights to the Miami Heat basketball stadium, organizing a panel in the Caribbean with Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, paying Tom Brady and Gisele to be presenters at his events, and paying other celebrities to attend his events.
Altruistic facade. He has said that he does everything for the love of humanity, even though it has become clear that he was not honest with his investors, employees, and customers about the connection between Alameda and FTX.
Optimization focus. Sam has talked a lot about optimizing his schedule and figuring out how to work on the highest leverage tasks each day. He has spoken about his love of multitasking.
Multitasking addict. According to media reports, members of the VC firm Sequoia were “impressed” by Sam’s multitasking abilities when he was able to play League of Legends while taking a conference call with them.
Speaking the Type 3 vocabulary. In interviews, he often emphasizes words like “opportunity,” “optimization,” and “value.”
Opportunist. His view is that the world is messy, which is an opportunity to make it better. And he's expressed his interest in "taking advantage" of those opportunities.
Unwavering optimist. He has an optimism that things will turn out well even when the odds are against him.
Unfulfilled self-aggrandizing statements. He made the bold claim that he was going to spend $1 billion on political donations ahead of the 2024 US elections, but then backed out of that claim.
Demeanor. He comes across with a certain level of shyness and introversion. He has talked about daydreaming as a hobby (this gives us confidence that he was a 4 Wing).
Sam Bankman-Fried quotes that show he is a Type 3
“I didn’t steal funds, and I certainly didn’t stash billions away.”
“Sometimes the only thing standing between what is and what could be is the will to get there, whatever it requires”
“The altruistic thing to do is to take chances. Seek out the opportunities with the biggest upside, not the ones which are safest”
“Better is bigger.”
“My schedule is all over the place, and that is intentional.”
“Twitter is the best way for me to get a sense of what is going on in our industry and with our customers.”
“I’ll take calls whenever it makes sense and shift my schedule to meet those. It’s chaotic, it’s varied, and there is not a whole lot of consistency to it. But that’s how the world is.”
“What matters is what impact I have on the world.”