Sam Bankman-Fried
Founder of FTX; convicted of fraud in 2023
Founder of the FTX crypto exchange and Alameda Research, and a prominent donor to effective-altruism and AI-safety causes through the FTX Future Fund. Convicted in November 2023 of fraud and conspiracy after FTX's collapse and sentenced to 25 years in prison. His case is often cited in debates about effective altruism's influence on AI safety funding.
Key arguments & positions
- Publicly described himself as an effective altruist pursuing "earning to give," and funded pandemic and AI-risk work through the FTX Future Fund.
Accomplishments
- Founded Alameda Research (2017) and the FTX exchange (2019), which collapsed in November 2022.
- Convicted in November 2023 on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy; sentenced in March 2024 to 25 years in prison.
Papers & key writings
No research writing; the court record and reporting on FTX are the main primary sources.
Links
In the library
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Recommended next
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'Eugenics on steroids': the toxic and contested legacy of Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute
Article (republished on The Free Library) on the history and criticism of Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute, the research center tied to longtermism and existential-risk work, which closed in 2024. The page blocked an automated check, so this description is based on the title.
Why this: Also about effective altruism
Some Anthropic Veterans Are Reportedly Buying Remote Land in Case AI Goes Awry
The Decoder summary of a Wall Street Journal report on long-serving Anthropic employees considering remote land purchases, and the company's ties to Effective Altruism and AI-risk communities.
Why this: Also about effective altruism
William MacAskill
Philosopher and senior research fellow at Forethought, working on AGI preparedness and longtermism. Co-founded Giving What We Can, 80,000 Hours, the Centre for Effective Altruism and the Global Priorities Institute; author of Doing Good Better and What We Owe the Future.
Why this: Also about effective altruism
Giving What We Can
Non-profit with free research on where donations do the most good, plus a public pledge community and evaluations of charities and causes.
Why this: Also about effective altruism