How SBF(FTX) used his status as the right kind of "White Boy" to con the world.

Yup, SBF clearly had the whole schtick of "MIT genius tech bro" scam down to an art. It would have never worked if he were not a from a supposedly elite institution (which increasingly, is viewed by many to be a dumpster fire) and was not of the right with the correct socioeconomic status.

Author is Arthur Hayes, founder of the late crypto exchange BitMEX. The essay is less inflammatory than the title suggests, and I read it for the finance insights—- after all BitMEX was accused of frontrunning customers (too?)<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.vanityfair.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;2021&#x2F;02&#x2F;the-rise-and-fall-of-bitcoin-billionaire-arthur-hayes" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.vanityfair.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;2021&#x2F;02&#x2F;the-rise-and-fall-of...</a>

That was a solid read. I went in all ready to dismiss it, and still wasn&#x27;t sure in the beginning, but by the end enjoyed it.<p>Direct and not PC about making its points.

&quot;SBF played the game on the meta level, and traded social currency — hoodwinking the Western financial establishment and the crypto industry alike in the process.&quot; - Arthur Hayes @cryptohayes

‘Note that I will be using the term “white” to refer to people of European descent, and the term “black” to describe people of African descent.’<p>SBF is Jewish. The ‘right kind of white boy‘ is an antisemitic dog whistle.

Dang, I flagged this for the offensive title. I&#x27;ve seen you&#x27;ve already moderated a comment here - why do you think this racist title is good for HN?

Arthur Hayes makes a valid point.

The title of this article is pretty offensive. I don’t want to read it. Is there some context that makes the racial slur appropriate here? Or we allow it because racism against white people is in vogue?

Sad to see Arthur Hayes resort to racism to make his point.