Following the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX and the undoing of its CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, Heather and Joanne discuss the businesspeople and money-makers who have fallen hardest throughout American history. How do we find the line between the “con man” and the capitalist? 

Heather and Joanne talk about the mid-1800s origins of the “con man,” the loss of belief in financiers during the Great Depression, and the Keating Five scandal of the late 1980s. 

Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. Head to: cafe.com/history

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For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/ftx-con-men-and-the-power-of-grift/

Now & Then is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
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