Hype Machine

"'Anybody who wants to understand the cryptocurrency mania which gripped financial markets should read Hype Machine. Josh Oliver's powerful narrative captures leading actors like Sam Bankman-Fried and their dodgy practices, while explaining the roots of ""financial populism"".' -- Lionel Barber, former editor of the Financial Times 'Filled with surprising and infuriating details, Joshua Oliver's Hype Machine is a richly reported and devastating indictment of a financial bubble of unprecedented size and stupidity.' -- Zeke Faux, author of Number Go Up 'A fast-paced and highly accessible account of the rise and fall of SBF and his crypto empire. In places, it reads like a thriller; in other parts it is a primer that can help anyone understand how crypto worked and the contradictions in its rhetoric ... A must read for any investors - or future historians seeking to understand how dazzling innovations can sometimes go badly wrong.' -- Gillian Tett, columnist and best-selling author of Anthro-Vision 'The extraordinary story of FTX and its founder Sam Bankman-Fried provides critical lessons on finance, economics and human psychology. The rise and fall of this leading player in the crypto industry perfectly mirrors one of the oddest, most dangerous bubbles in recent financial history. Financial markets have always been attractive to speculative chancers. Crypto was no different. Josh Oliver expertly weaves together deep reporting on the circus around SBF with clear explanations of the crypto bubble as a whole in this deeply reported and important book.' -- Duncan Mavin, author of Pyramid of Lies 'A funny, provocative, front-line tale of the groupthink and blind optimism that sparked crypto's head-spinning rise and ferocious fall.' -- Eliot Brown, author of The Cult of We 'A gripping real-life financial thriller. Joshua Oliver skilfully unravels the corruption at the heart of crypto, showing why millions of investors bought into a fiction.' -- Claer Barrett, author of What They Don't Teach You About Money"