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The Passion of S.B.F. & The Next MacKenzie

Notes on the crypto king’s web3 bailout and Semafor media ambitions. Plus my conversation with Nicole Shanahan, who could be the next MacKenzie Scott.

Nicole Shanahan
Nicole Shanahan, president of the Bia-Echo Foundation. Photo: Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images
Theodore Schleifer
July 5, 2022

There are few more fascinating figures in our zeitgeist than Sam Bankman-Fried, the 30-year-old crypto billionaire and FTX founder whose personal ambitions range from politics to media to, of course, the frontiers of digital finance. Over the past several weeks, Bankman-Fried has aggressively expanded his influence over the embattled crypto industry, saving rival firms from insolvency on financial terms that could double or triple his fortune, if ever the crypto market ever bounces back. A Bloomberg television chyron on Tuesday afternoon captured the vibes: “BANKMAN-FRIED RIDES TO THE RESCUE.”