Netflix announces limited series The Altruists covering Caroline Ellison and Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX collapse.
Regulation & Gov ·
Netflix is developing a limited series titled The Altruists that examines the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX through the relationship between Caroline Ellison and Sam Bankman-Fried. The eight-episode drama will star Julia Garner as Ellison and Anthony Boyle as Bankman-Fried, with the show created and written by Graham Moore and Jacqueline Hoyt, premiering November 19.
The series traces how the two figures, portrayed as ambitious young idealists, gradually escalated from small deceptions into larger crimes that resulted in an $8 billion loss at FTX. According to Moore, both were initially committed to altruistic goals and challenged each other to build a company intended to transform the world, though the effort ultimately destabilized the financial system instead. Ellison served over a year in prison following the collapse, while Bankman-Fried remains incarcerated.
The framing of the pair as protagonists driven by idealism rather than pure self-interest represents a particular narrative choice in dramatizing events that resulted in significant criminal charges and convictions. The show's characterization—including the "star-crossed lovers" and "Gen Z's Bonnie and Clyde" comparisons—reflects how the source material emphasizes their relationship as central to understanding the company's trajectory, though the extent to which this interpretation aligns with court findings and other analyses remains a matter of broader discussion.