On Wednesday, Vox published an article entailing a private conversation on Twitter between FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried with journalist Kelsey Piper. In the messages, the resigned CEO of the bankrupt exchange went on to claim that that there was “no one” out there to make sure that good things happen and bad things don’t.
In three consecutive messages following that, SBF went on to say “fuck regulators,” “they make everything worse,” and “they don’t protect customers at all.”
Subsequently, when Piper said that it seemed like some kind of consumer protection would be good, SBF agreed. However, he went on to claim that regulators “can’t do it.”
In the chats, SBF also went on to claim that the FDA wasn’t helping. Alongside, he also said that that the OFAC was “slowly undermining US interests globally” and was the “single biggest threat to the US being a superpower.” He further accused the ESG of being “perverted beyond recognition.”
Nonetheless, towards the end, SBF stated that he “didn’t want to do sketchy stuff.” Each individual decision seemed to be fine, per him. However, it was only during the end that he realized “how big their sum was.”
A few hours back, SBF claimed on Twitter that he didn’t know that his messages with the reporter would be made public. Calling some of his takes “thoughtless,” he tweeted,
“Some of what I said was thoughtless or overly strong–I was venting and not intending that to be public. I guess at this point what I write leaks anyway.“
In the same “What H-A-P-P-E-N-E-D” Twitter thread, SBF added a few more thoughts. He asserted that it was “really” hard to be regulator, for they have an “impossible job.” SBF also said that agencies like the CTFC, the SCB, and VARA have “deeply impressed” him with their “knowledge and thoughtfulness.”
FTX’s new CEO was quick to distance the company From SBF after the controversial DMs surfaced. John J. Ray III took FTX’s official Twitter handle to re-emphasize the change in leadership at the beleaguered exchange.
Ray claimed that SBF had no ongoing role at FTX, FTX US, or Alameda Research Ltd. and “does not speak on their behalf.”
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