Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of FTX, has launched a two-pronged attack to secure his release from prison. The 25-year-old sentence he received in California for seven counts of fraud and conspiracy is being appealed through the courts, but he's also attempting to appeal to public sympathy via his X account.
For months, Bankman-Fried has been posting on his X account, using internet slang like "gm" (good morning) as a sign-off. His posts have been lashing out at the administrators of the FTX bankruptcy estate and criticizing their handling of the crisis. He's also claimed that the money was never missing from FTX's finances, but rather stuck in illiquid assets.
The appeals process is likely to be long and uncertain, with experts saying the odds of a successful appeal are low – between 5-10 percent. However, Bankman-Fried's specific arguments about judicial discretion are particularly challenging.
While the outcome of the appeal remains uncertain, Bankman-Fried's strategy appears to be a classic example of "PR warfare" aimed at securing public sympathy and potentially, a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. His family has been lobbying for a pardon in recent months, with some sources suggesting that they believe Trump might sympathize with Bankman-Fried's claims.
However, not everyone is buying into the narrative that Bankman-Fried was unfairly targeted by prosecutors. Many former FTX customers and creditors are still trying to secure their losses, which could make it difficult for Bankman-Fried to build a sense of public sympathy.
In fact, some creditors have come out against Bankman-Fried's attempts to shift blame onto the administrators of the bankruptcy estate. "He's still a criminal," says Sunil Kavuri, a creditor who lost $2 million in the collapse. "It's very easy to push blame onto someone else, but he got us into this mess."
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen whether Bankman-Fried's efforts will pay off or if he'll ultimately remain behind bars for many years.
For months, Bankman-Fried has been posting on his X account, using internet slang like "gm" (good morning) as a sign-off. His posts have been lashing out at the administrators of the FTX bankruptcy estate and criticizing their handling of the crisis. He's also claimed that the money was never missing from FTX's finances, but rather stuck in illiquid assets.
The appeals process is likely to be long and uncertain, with experts saying the odds of a successful appeal are low – between 5-10 percent. However, Bankman-Fried's specific arguments about judicial discretion are particularly challenging.
While the outcome of the appeal remains uncertain, Bankman-Fried's strategy appears to be a classic example of "PR warfare" aimed at securing public sympathy and potentially, a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. His family has been lobbying for a pardon in recent months, with some sources suggesting that they believe Trump might sympathize with Bankman-Fried's claims.
However, not everyone is buying into the narrative that Bankman-Fried was unfairly targeted by prosecutors. Many former FTX customers and creditors are still trying to secure their losses, which could make it difficult for Bankman-Fried to build a sense of public sympathy.
In fact, some creditors have come out against Bankman-Fried's attempts to shift blame onto the administrators of the bankruptcy estate. "He's still a criminal," says Sunil Kavuri, a creditor who lost $2 million in the collapse. "It's very easy to push blame onto someone else, but he got us into this mess."
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen whether Bankman-Fried's efforts will pay off or if he'll ultimately remain behind bars for many years.
. Using internet slang and lashing out at the bankruptcy estate administrators is a classic move, but it also kinda gives away that he's trying too hard to be relatable 
. I mean, can't he just own up to his mistakes and apologize instead of trying to turn everyone against the admins? 
. Most people are still salty about FTX and don't care about Bankman-Fried's sob story. Plus, Trump's team hasn't said jack squat about giving him a pardon, so we should take that with a grain of salt 
.
. I hope the courts see through his PR tricks and give him the justice he deserves 
I'm low-key surprised that Sam Bankman-Fried is trying so hard to save his skin 
. Like, I get it, 25 years in prison is a looong time 
, but at the same time, he was involved in one of the biggest financial scandals of all time 
.
. And honestly, I'm not sure how much PR warfare is gonna help him out... his family's been pushing for a pardon from Trump already? 
Like, are they really that desperate?
. One thing's for sure tho - Sam Bankman-Fried's gonna need some serious convincing to win back the public's trust 
.
He thinks posting on X and using internet slang is gonna make people feel sorry for him? Newsflash, dude: you got caught red-handed and your company went bankrupt because of your own incompetence 
It's like they think Trump owes them some sort of favor just because they're related to the guy. Give me a break 
And what really gets my goat is that people are still trying to secure their losses and he's over here trying to shift blame onto everyone else 
The man was convicted of multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy for crying out loud! You can't just claim you were innocent and then act surprised when people don't buy it 
his strategy might be a bit shady tho trying to appeal to public sympathy thru social media is not gonna cut it in this case, the court's gonna look at all the evidence and make their own decision 
, and his attempts to sway public opinion are on full display 
. Interesting that some creditors are calling out his bluff 
. The PR warfare tactics might just backfire on him though 
...
. Newsflash, Sam: being a convicted felon doesn't automatically make you likable or deserving of sympathy 
.
. And honestly, who does he think is buying into his "the money was never missing" excuse? His family thinks Trump might pardon him because of some made-up narrative about judicial discretion? please 
. I'm not holding my breath for a positive outcome in this one... 
anyway, I think it's cool that he's trying to use his platform to make an appeal, we should all have a chance to learn from our mistakes right? 
. He got himself into a massive financial crisis and now hes trying to shift the blame 
. And yeah, his PR warfare strategy might work for some ppl, but not everyone will buy it 
. Like, those ppl who lost money on FTX are still trying to get it back, and they dont see him as a victim 
before they hatch 
Sam Bankman-Fried is trying to spin this whole FTX debacle like a PR nightmare 
.
. It's like he's using a traffic cone to distract us from his own mistakes 
. I feel bad for those who lost money, though - $2 million is a lot to lose 
. From what I've seen so far, it seems like he's just trying to spin the narrative to make himself look less guilty 
. We'll have to wait and see how this all plays out... 
.