A former engineer at Alameda Research has come forward with claims on X that his entire life savings were stolen by Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), his former boss.
Aditya Baradwaj paints a vivid picture of the rise and fall of FTX, exposing the contradictions, grand visions, and heartbreaking consequences that ensued.
As an engineer at Alameda Research, I had my entire life savings stolen from me by my former boss: Sam Bankman-Fried.
Now, after months of recuperation from the craziness of the FTX collapse, I’m ready to tell my story.
Let’s start at the beginning:
(1/25) 🧵#SBF #FTX pic.twitter.com/x5wKvT0Dy2
— Adi (e/acc) (@aditya_baradwaj) August 23, 2023
Baradwaj explained the story beginning with his entry into Alameda Research after leaving a position at Google. He continues to recount his first day at the company and the excitement of working for a small, mysterious crypto firm led by SBF.
According to the former engineer at Alameda, his first encounter with Bankman-Fried was quite unorthodox, as the was playing a video game while having a business call.
When I entered the office SBF was sitting at his desk in the middle of the trading floor, taking a call while playing League, in characteristic fashion.
And yes, that was Alameda’s trading floor…
(6/25)
— Adi (e/acc) (@aditya_baradwaj) August 23, 2023
In addition, he noted the lack of press coverage around the founder and the unknown states of Alameda and FTX. Over time, he discovered that while advocating for decentralized finance, SBF’s empire rested on centralized custodial platforms, a paradox that would become emblematic of his approach.
The former Alameda engineer further highlighted joint operations between Alameda and FTX, showcasing a web of intertwined relationships, shared spaces, and a vision that extended beyond a crypto exchange.
Baradwaj painted SBF’s audacious dreams of transforming the Bahamas, where FTX’s revenue accounted for a substantial portion of the country’s GDP, more than 10%. The plan included a vaccine factory to combat slow FDA approvals, political donations, and even musings on biotech advancements and humanitarian causes like malaria bed nets and veganism.
Baradwaj said his life started to change in ways he couldn’t have imagined that included luxury homes, traveling across the world, and “brushing elbows” with celebrities as well as sports icons.
I experienced opulence the likes of which I’d only seen before in movies.
Got flown around the world on a regular basis between Berkeley, Hong Kong, and the Bahamas.
Brushed elbows with celebrities, sports icons, and political figures.
(20/25)
— Adi (e/acc) (@aditya_baradwaj) August 23, 2023
However, he soon learned about FTX’s reckless risk management and technical debt, which undermined the company’s financial stability. SBF’s vision, touted as a force for good, ultimately crumbled under financial devastation for investors, employees, and customers who trusted the founder.
The aftermath was the once-promising FTX headquarters still lay abandoned. Sam Bankman-Fried himself faces incarceration after violating the terms of his house arrest, underscoring his inability to follow the rules he often preached about. Meanwhile, Baradwaj has promised to give more insights into the FTX and Alameda situations and provide transparency over the inside workings of the companies.
Of course, Sam didn’t end up building a vaccine factory or eradicating malaria. His customers, investors, and employees – the ones who trusted him most – are financially devastated. And the ruins of the half-built FTX headquarters lay strewn across the beaches of Nassau.
(22/25) pic.twitter.com/bJGCtXHnb9
— Adi (e/acc) (@aditya_baradwaj) August 23, 2023
