{
  "id": 12962244,
  "title": "How The Altruists expands Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto saga into a dysfunctional love story",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/how-the-altruists-expands-sam-bankman-frieds-crypto-saga-into-a",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-08T18:00:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The A.V. Club",
    "slug": "the-a-v-club",
    "url": "https://www.avclub.com/the-altruists-netflix-fall-tv-preview"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In November 2022, the world witnessed the rapid downfall of Sam Bankman-Fried's $32 billion cryptocurrency empire, FTX. This event captured the attention of writer Graham Moore, who was glued to FTX news at the time. Moore, known for his Oscar-winning work on \"The Imitation Game,\" was deeply intrigued by the scandal, as it involved a \"so-called white knight of the finance world\" being revealed as a potential fraud. Bankman-Fried was ultimately convicted of wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering in 2023, with his ex-girlfriend and former CEO, Caroline Ellison, serving as a crucial witness against him.\n\nThe Altruists, a miniseries co-produced by Moore and Jacqueline Hoyt, delves into the dysfunctional love story between Bankman-Fried and Ellison. The show explores their on-again, off-again relationship, which began in 2015 when they both worked at a Wall Street firm. Later, Bankman-Fried left the firm, moved to California, and founded Alameda Research, where Ellison joined him. Together, they aimed to pursue a philosophy called \"effective altruism,\" which emphasizes using money to do as much good as possible.\n\nIn 2022, Bankman-Fried was accused of illegally diverting $8 billion from customer deposits into his own hedge fund. The Altruists employs a non-linear narrative structure, alternating between two timelines – six years apart – to build suspense and explore how these seemingly altruistic individuals turned into people involved in illegal activities. Moore and Hoyt wanted to present a fresh perspective on the story, going beyond the news coverage and delving into the personal lives of Bankman-Fried and Ellison.\n\nThe showrunners cast Julia Garner and Anthony Boyle in the lead roles, primarily drawn to their ability to portray real people in other works. Garner played a captivating Caroline Ellison, undergoing extensive makeup, prosthetics, and vocal coaching to fully embody the character. Boyle, who had previously worked with Hoyt on \"Manhunt,\" was cast as Bankman-Fried after impressing the duo with his preparation and naturalistic acting style.\n\nThe Altruists features a diverse ensemble cast, including Madison Hu as FTX COO Constance Wang, Matt Rife as FTX Digital Markets CEO Ryan Salame, and Alex Lawther as FTX's co-CEO Sam Trabucco. Moore and Hoyt expressed their ethical responsibility in telling the story fairly, acknowledging that many moments between Bankman-Fried and Ellison were not documented or recorded. To fill these gaps, the creators relied on a combination of research, including trial transcripts, and their own set of sources, while also incorporating educated imagination to create a compelling narrative.",
  "summary": "Showrunners Graham Moore and Jacqueline Hoyt give us a preview of The Altruists, Netflix's true-crime drama about the downfall of Bankman-Fried's FTX.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}