number go up (zeke faux)
there’s not a lot to say about this book. i blasted through it on a trip to iceland. if you had any interest in the crypto grift scene that was ablaze you’ll recall most of the drama from this time. faux provides some amusing anecdotes from his experiences reporting on this multi-year shitshow and rolling grift party.
if anything, this is an amusing, if at times irritating, look at the desire to make tons of money in america and the desperation that drives some really irrational behaviors. faux does dig into the human exploitation that crypto unlocked with the best description / writeup of the pig butchering schemes that i’ve seen to date. beyond that, this is a collection of first-hand accounts of his discussions with various crypto personalities and party attendance. it would have been a lot more interesting, and likely more useful, if he’d dug into the attempts by the VCs and other firms to legitimized this garbage.
we’re going to see a lot more of this shit if the a16z crew realizes their fever dream of getting some legislation passed around this garbage. the crypto dweebs seem to be carpet bombing money in the upcoming election to get some favorably disposed congress-critters.
by the way, if you’re not following molly white you really should be.