Is Sam Bankman-Fried a Sociopath?

This week, as the criminal trial of Sam Bankman-Fried continues to unfold, there has been an emerging chorus of people willing to state, quite bluntly, that the founder of crypto exchange FTX and hedge fund Alameda Research is psychopathic. The former “golden boy” of crypto, aka SBF, is accused of multiple counts of fraud related to siphoning billions of dollars worth of his exchange customers’ money to fund a litany of investments.

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Convicted fraudster Martin Shkreli, for instance, wrote that “SBF practiced smiling so people wouldn’t think he was a sociopath,” an insight apparently gleaned from Michael Lewis’ recently published biography of the FTX founder, “Going Infinite.” Shkreli has become a semi-notable commentator on SBF’s trial and jail conditions, given his own experience with the federal criminal justice system.

See also: Could Sam Bankman-Fried’s Saga Happen Without Crypto? | Opinion

He also appeared on SBF confidant Tiffany Fong’s vlog series about the trial, in an episode titled “IS SBF A SOCIOPATH? Caroline Ellison, Love & Remorse.” Fong, who gained notoriety as a critical former user of failed lending company Celsius, has had multiple private conversations with SBF, including when visiting him while still under house arrest, and has leaked portions of SBF’s personal writings that SBF provided her.

If I were a psychiatrist (I’m not), I’d try not to violate the Goldwater Rule, but it is notable how often this armchair diagnosis of the former crypto “golden boy’s” deeply immoral behavior comes up. It’s a reasonable reaction, to some extent. There’s a lot of evidence already in the public record about SBF’s conduct and demeanor over the years that suggest ill-intent or indifference to possible results over his increasingly risk-prone behavior.

Just yesterday, his former girlfriend and employee Caroline Ellison — whose diary SBF released, detailing their rocky relationship — testified that Bankman-Fried was willing to make strange bedfellows when it suited him. While searching for capital to cover the money he allegedly misappropriated, SBF reached out to Saudi Prince…