Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis is perhaps America's most successful and celebrated nonfiction writer. Not only do his books reach millions of readers, they're made into successful movies including “The Money Game,” “The Big Short,” and “The Blindside.” Michael was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1960 and is a graduate of Princeton and the London School of Economics.
After a brief career on Wall Street, he received success with his first book, “Liar's Poker.” Michael Lewis has subsequently written more than 15 best sellers. He also writes for magazines and newspapers on timely subjects including politics, government, and finance.
His latest book, “Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon,” is about how cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried went from a huge multi-billion dollar fortune to a jail sentence of 25 years without parole. Lewis has written an update for the publication of the paperback edition. In the book and update, he describes Bankman-Fried, known as SBF, living an extraordinary life motivated by ambition, famous friends, and effective altruism, the idea of making a lot of money so you can give it away to do good. His empire collapsed when he was accused of transferring funds from the exchange, FTX, to Alameda Research, his hedge fund to cover expenses and invest in venture capital opportunities. The downfall came as Lewis was spending time with SBF looking for his slant. He interviewed most of his associates and published “Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon,” just before the trial began. The jury quickly convicted Bankman-Fried and Judge Louis Kaplan sentenced him to 25 years without parole, suggesting it was necessary because SBF might commit the same offense again. He is now in prison and his case is on appeal.
Michael Lewis lives in Berkeley, California with his wife Tabitha Soren, an acclaimed photographer and former reporter and television host for MTV. They have three children. Their daughter Dixie died in a tragic automobile crash in 2021. He talks about that tragedy and future projects in the latest of more than ten conversations about him and his work.