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January 2023
- 12 participants
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I'm out of it right now. Maybe this can work for me?
---
MCBoss stops their giant robot spider in the midst of rampaging across
a metropolis. "Lower the escalator, I want to go down and visit the
plebs." 23 crewmembers pull each others' bodies apart and reassemble
each other into an escalator. Some are terrified and others muffle
their screams. Some spray blood and others block the spray and clean
it up. Some are casual about it, like it's what they're used to and
experienced with.
5
586
Sam Bankman-Fried's net worth fell 93% in 1 day, loses Billionaire
status (cryptoslate.com)
Every shitcoin scammer: Bitcoin bad (i.redd.it)
Billionaires like SBF, CZ, Musk Are Not Our Friends And Never Will Be
(self.CryptoCurrency)
FTX isn't collapsing because of "bad" business or CZ. It's because
they committed crimes (self.CryptoCurrency)
FTX explained perfectly. (i.redd.it)
How's everyone doing today? (i.redd.it)
In case there's any confusion about what r/buttcoin wants (self.Buttcoin)
Happy ATHversary: exactly one year ago, today, Bitcoin was touching
its "All Time High" value at ~U$69,045.00. (self.CryptoCurrency)
FTX, 3AC, Voyager, Celsius, Alameda, Hodl Do You Realize What They've
Done? (self.CryptoCurrency)
Binance Is Strongly Leaning Toward Scrapping FTX Rescue Takeover After
First Glance at Books (coindesk.com)
Crypto All the Way Down (i.redd.it)
For the 10000000th Time Get Your Bitcoin Off of Exchanges (self.Bitcoin)
The great Sam vs. CZ crypto war, a visual recap [Meme level over 9000]
(self.CryptoCurrency)
So THIS is that "red wave" I was hearing about. (i.redd.it)
FTX mostly trades Bitcoin IOUs (future contracts) not real bitcoin.
Coinglass shows FTX only holds about 36 real Bitcoin. The market is
over reacting to the collapse of a shitcoin & IOU casino.
(self.Bitcoin)
Ethereum supply shock today (self.ethereum)
Coinbase released a statement (self.CryptoCurrency)
so..... wtf? (i.redd.it)
Alright guys ! Its time for a guessing game. Which big project dies
next??? (self.CryptoCurrency)
BTC drops below $17,700. (i.redd.it)
Imagine (i.redd.it)
Only way to become a millionaire in crypto is start off as a
billionaire. (i.redd.it)
RIP to anyone that bought earlier today and thought they hit a fat
dip. (self.CryptoCurrency)
Alameda's leaked balance sheet (i.redd.it)
Congrats to everyone who still sticks around. (self.CryptoCurrency)
Billionaires like SBF, CZ, Musk Are Not Our Friends And Never Will Be
(self.CryptoCurrency)
submitted 21 hours ago by OneThatNoseOneBronze
This should go without saying but it needs to be said. Billionaires
are not our friends. Somehow these people manage to amass cult
followings who hang on their every word almost like Gospel. Many of us
have come to crypto for financial freedom and uses where conventional
finance has failed us. Heck, even if you are just here for the profits
these people are still very bad source of advice and trust in them is
misplaced trust.
I could start with SBF who seems to be intent on acquiring every
single crypto company and absolutely crush the competition using what
seems to be(or used to be) his unlimited bank account for unlimited
buying power. He has also recently come out with some very
anti-decentralization statements. Speaking of decentralization we move
to CZ who has built up an image of being very pro-decentralization and
yet skirts around and avoids the entire issue when it's asked about
regarding BSC. On the Binance blog he claims that "decentralization is
a gradient scale" and refuses to describe Binance's chain as
centralized when only 19 validators are needed to alter or outright
freeze the chain completely as we saw recently. Further, any and all
validators are chosen by Binance themselves. Binance has also been
involved in many cases of either attempting skirt around or outright
just ignoring regulatory laws while at the same time CZ speaks warmly
about the benefits and positivity of regulations.
Elon Musk outright manipulates markets to his whim and fancy and seems
to find it a fun game that he partakes in gleefully as investors may
lose their life savings, futures and family funds. He talks a big game
about free speech but has started permanently suspending accounts that
"impersonate others", which are generally actually obvious account
parodies especially those done to him. He also plays a certain segment
of crypto "investors" like fiddles who pump the market and get dumped
on when he "doesn't follow through" on a tweet and heavily suggest
ideas he has no intention of implementing.
I don't think I need to mention the likes of Do Kwon, Alex Mashinsky
and John Karony as well as know their deviousness all too well. On
this particular note we should realise an important step in DYOR.
NEVER invest in any token or platform that has a single individual as
the face of the entire company, usually the founder or CEO as the face
of the company. All of these people are only here to feed their own
ego, and use the veneer of crypto "freedom" to attract those already
holding resentment toward traditional finance to gain their blind
trust. They are here for the cash and the attention. If nothing else,
find yourself a platform or product with a CEO/head whose keeps
his/her head down and puts in the work and doesn't have to tweet every
hour for validation.
This trickles further down into investment based on "endorsements"
from celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather and Tom Brady.
You can even include Matt Damon in this as while it was an
"above-board" paid ad, he was 100% using his name and influence to
promote crypto and should clearly know the risks and backlash that it
could bring but he seems to have blindly sold out for the money.
Recent market events have also shown that we give these people way too
much power. I saw a comment on the sub that said it's actually not a
bad thing if Cefi collapses, as Defi would take over. A very
interesting statement.
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[–]ThatInternetGuyPlatinum | QC: CC 87, BNB 61 | TRX 8 | r/Prog. 165
75 points 19 hours ago
Where do you think CZ got his money from? It's from y'all pouring
billions and billions right onto his manipulative traps.
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[–]fontinuos 2 points 9 hours ago
What traps? Sure I might use one of the platforms/services he offers
(Binance exchange) so every time I make a trade he gets a cut in fees.
Multiply these with being the biggest exchange in the planet and the
guy makes millions a day.
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[–]SnowbatttPlatinum | QC: CC 523, BTC 15 | ADA 10 | Unpop.Opin. 13 2
points 14 hours ago
Who the fuck is CZ though.
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[–]Ghost_LagoonSilver | QC: CC 663 | VET 407 9 points 13 hours ago
Just the richest guy in crypto and of of the richest on the planet. Scary guy
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[–]ThatInternetGuyPlatinum | QC: CC 87, BNB 61 | TRX 8 | r/Prog. 165 8
points 13 hours ago
CZ is the frontman for a group of wealthy, shady Chinese investors.
The dude started investing in Bitcoin right around the same time I did
(when BTC was $10). He likely sold out at $3K and founded Binance with
the fund from Chinese investors and his. It may be smart since now he
could just print BNB to prop up his net worth whenever. For the
records, BNB was $3 just 3 years ago.
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[–]Red5point1Platinum | QC: DOGE 126, CC 62 1 point 8 hours ago*
you should read up on Wolong.
https://steemit.com/bitcoin/@joseph/wolong-the-game-of-deception-unedited-v…
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[–]DentuamSilver | QC: BCH 33 1 point 6 hours ago
Well said. hes a frontman. we dont know who has the truth power in the
binance empire.
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[–]Goldy_lordyTin 1 point 8 hours ago
The real question is ... Why China blocked crypto and we have a
chinese as the CEO of the biggest crypto exchange... seems some
collusion here.
So don't fall for this manipulative scheme. CCP control this guy...
and not only this one.
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[–]WonzkyPlatinum | QC: CC 947 179 points 21 hours ago
Corporations are never your friends, they exist to make money
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[–]BaecchusPlatinum | QC: CC 490 | r/WSB 11 50 points 20 hours ago
Exactly, thank you. They'd throw your entire family tree under the bus
for extra profit. Star struck fanboys are some of the biggest losers
on this planet.
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[–]loaded-diper33Bronze 11 points 15 hours ago
What do you think is going on inside these fanboys' minds? Do they
think these billionaires would give them money by being their white
knights? Clowny 🤡
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[–]Yoda1268Tin | 2 months old 4 points 13 hours ago
aspiration and belonging....(i.e. if I agree and cheer on Elon Musk,
then I'm "somehow someway part of his circle."). That's why building a
cult of personality is so enticing. Because once you have "followers",
they'll go through brick walls for you.
Look at all the dictators, nazis, fascists, generally bad dudes
throughout history. they all have amassed a strong following...whether
through charm or fear (generally it's a combination of both).
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[–]deathbyfish13NFT Degen 2 points 13 hours ago
Just like all this bullshit with Elon Musk. I don't understand the
logic behind people defending him, simping over the dude like they're
best buds when he doesn't give a shit about you, just your data and
your wallet
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[–]NotPresidentChumpPlatinum | QC: DOGE 340, CC 103 | r/WSB 180 7
points 18 hours ago
You mean the corporation that changes their profile pic to a rainbow
every month isn’t just like me???
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[–]GabeSterPlatinum | QC: DOGE 2475, CC 858 19 points 20 hours ago
Corporate profits ATH, inflation at ATH
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[–]CryptoScamee42069Bronze 4 points 19 hours ago
And as an extension of that, businesses for profit only offer a
service when they have something to gain. Either they know the chips
are stacked against you, or in the long run in the bigger picture, the
house wins anyway.
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[–]the_far_yardStack a Sat, Stash a Gwei, Bull or Bear, D-C-A. 4
points 15 hours ago
On top of this, what they are doing is known as intra-elite competition.
It's fair game to them, and we're funding it- most of the time. What
they are doing is similar to what you see in a sports league. It
doesn't matter who stays on top, what matters is that they're in the
league, and we are not.
It's senseless to stay loyal to a CEX. Adjust. Always read and adjust.
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[–]kgentesTin 9 points 19 hours ago*
They are your friend if you own stock. That's the point. They are by
extension the will and manifestation of the people who hold their
stock ownership. And at least in most modern nations this means
corporations are legal entities that can exist and perform activities
that live without a moral conscience. They exist for the sole benefit
of the stock holders, unless of course they are a non-profit, which
theoretically means they exist to pursue and accomplish the stated
charter of the nonprofit.
Yes, for profit companies are there to make money. If you own stock,
they are your friend, since they work to generate profits for you. If
you are not a shareholder, yes you'd be ill-informed to believe that
corporation would act in anything but their own self-interest.
Failing to see these basic facts of market and stock ownership is your
fault, not the corporations, not the market, not the governments, not
the regulatory departments. Yours.
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[–]disaintnomuthafukenPTin 1 point 16 hours ago
Where is the morality in your interpretation? Just because it is, does
not mean its right.
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[–]kgentesTin 4 points 14 hours ago*
I didn't say it was right. That is not the goal of the market system.
Morality isn't inherintly part of it's constituent parts. Corporations
are not morally founded They are instruments of market systems. That
is why they are only "friends" to their own shareholders. No one else.
If you heard anything else you need to reread what I said.
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[–]danuinahTin 2 points 4 hours ago
Well put; I'd like to add that absolute majority of 'retail investors'
are into crypto because of free money; in this context they're no
different than corporations who's intention is to maximize profits,
hence talking about morality or 'good vs bad' seems contradictory and
amusing at the same time.
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[–]Yoda1268Tin | 2 months old 3 points 14 hours ago
Everyone's been brainwashed into believing that "Profit Maximization"
is the ultimate moral and existential holy grail. The biggest lie ever
perpetuated by capitalism. The appeal to greed is powerful. it is one
of the 7 deadly sins. That's why everything is purposedly framed in a
zero-sum game manner (us vs them).
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[–]Aromatic-Front-5919Tin 3 points 20 hours ago
Youtube has told me differently
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[–]bakenj420Bronze 5 points 18 hours ago
But, they have electrolytes!
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[–]Scarecrow4980 3 points 19 hours ago
and this often includes squashing the little guy.
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[–]Routine-Detail-5576Platinum | QC: CC 26 | Buttcoin 16 4 points 17 hours ago
And crypto exists to scam you out of yours
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[–]unityVTin | 2 months old 2 points 17 hours ago
What about when you own them?
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[–]diwalostSilver | QC: CC 25 | ADA 49 2 points 17 hours ago
And we exist to help them with that.
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[–]ZoomLongTin 4 points 20 hours ago
That’s why I don’t work in one.
In other news if anyone’s hiring
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[–]CryptoScamee42069Bronze 2 points 18 hours ago
Will get on knees for DCA money
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[–]MitochondrionbabyTin | LRC 9 | r/WSB 11 1 point 19 hours ago
Vitalik won't let me down. Right Vitalik? Right?
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[–]Walla_Walla_26Tin | ETH critic 0 points 17 hours ago
Vitalik doesn’t own an exchange, but damn don’t let me down either!!!
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[–]selphfourgivenessSilver | QC: CC 222, BTC 28 | r/CMS 26 |
Superstonk 24 5 points 17 hours ago
but damn don’t let me down e̶i̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ether
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[–]Walla_Walla_26Tin | ETH critic 0 points 16 hours ago
Very nice EDIT!
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[–]IWillKillPutin2022Tin | 3 months old | CC critic | CelsiusNet. 50
115 points 20 hours ago
Finally someone writing this! Fuck the billionaires
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[–]Mr_Bob_FergusonPlatinum | QC: CC 168 27 points 16 hours ago
I dare anyone to try this post in the /Tesla/ sub!
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[–]IWillKillPutin2022Tin | 3 months old | CC critic | CelsiusNet. 50
13 points 16 hours ago
Instantly banned
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[–]deathbyfish13NFT Degen 10 points 13 hours ago
Post criticism of Musk in the Tesla sub? Believe it or not, straight to jail
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[–]IWillKillPutin2022Tin | 3 months old | CC critic | CelsiusNet. 50 2
points 13 hours ago
*twitter jail
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[–]GuyWithNoEffingCluePlatinum | QC: CC 557 2 points 12 hours ago
Stone this guy, officer!
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[–]IWillKillPutin2022Tin | 3 months old | CC critic | CelsiusNet. 50 3
points 13 hours ago
firing squad arrives
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[–]niloonyPlatinum | QC: CC 1190 6 points 16 hours ago
The Tesla Investors sub aren't big fans at the moment.
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[–]mikiekwoodsTin 6 points 13 hours ago
How bout ex-billionaires?
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[–]mave_wreckTin | CC critic 3 points 10 hours ago
What do you mean? We have this kind of post every single day.
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[–]TavionnfTin | 2 months old 2 points 13 hours ago
To be fair, SBF isn't a billionaire anymore. Do we like him again?
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[–]staffellSilver | QC: CC 124 | r/CMS 16 | Politics 12 2 points 10 hours ago
What do you mean *finally*. It's the most fucking obvious thing ever.
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[–]TheRicFlairDripTin 3 points 13 hours ago
just a reminder for everyone to use DEX instead of CEX. thats why i
use rubic exchange, you can literally buy any coin their without KYC,
registration or dealing with a CEX...
DeFi really is the next big thing coming for crypto after all this
recent manipulation of greedy billionaires
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[–]999999999989Tin 37 points 21 hours ago
CZ looks the most friendly, so maybe the most dangerous one
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[–]xadiantPlatinum | QC: CC 202 | Futurology 12 13 points 12 hours ago
I think he doesn't have the Messiah complex and keeps it professional
unlike other crypto clowns.
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[–]IHateEditedBgMusicBronze 3 points 13 hours ago*
He's accumulating power and says SAFU a lot. He must care for me.
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[–]Mediocre_Piccolo8542Silver | QC: CC 106 | ADA 141 4 points 10 hours ago
He does, but he still stays professional, unlike other clowns with
their motivational speech patterns where they say things like “let’s
change the world, bank the unbanked” etc.
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[–]IHateEditedBgMusicBronze 3 points 10 hours ago
I respect CZ latest announcement about proof-of-reserves, definitely
the right direction. Binance has very good practises too. In the end
though, you still don't hold any keys.
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[+][deleted] 16 hours ago (3 children)
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[–]Whole_Visible 21 points 21 hours ago*
If you ever want to have a small view in how different rich people
live, do grubhub/doordash in the rich part of town. Not the wealthy
suburb housing dual income doctors and engineers. Talking a bit more
out of the city where every lot is like 15k-20k sqft landscaped with
high walls and trees and high hedges surrounding it. Then realize
these aren't even the hundreds of millionaires to billionaires. You're
seeing a bunch of homes of geriatric millionaires - single digit to
low double digit millionaires - and their children and grandchildren
whom after inheritance splitting it may not even be a million each.
They still have physically close neighbors
Billionaires have compounds. They have to make efforts to even see
their neighbors let alone have conversation
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[–]CONSOLE_LOAD_LETTERPlatinum | QC: CC 556 3 points 9 hours ago*
One fact I like to remember is that if you earned a $1 million a year
income you'd probably think that was a lot... but it would still take
you 100,000-200,000 years to be able to match guys like Bezos, Musk,
or Gates. To further put that in perspective, Mesopotamia, known as
one of earliest human civilizations to ever arise, was "only" 6,000
years ago.
And here's another good illustrative comparison on how crazy wealth
disparity of billionaires is using grains of rice to get a better
sense of scale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSOVBiEotaw
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[–]Cravensworth_reduxPlatinum | QC: CC 60, DOGE 22 | BANANO 10 98
points 21 hours ago
I'll never understand the cults that develop around these rich people.
They offer nothing and are parasites.
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[–]ReasonableHat60010k Moons is the goal 52 points 20 hours ago
The Elon fan boys are ground-breakingly cringe
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[–]benmck90 35 points 20 hours ago
Speaking as an ex-Musk fan boy.... Space-x and Tesla were doing really
cool things that nobody had done at the time.
Starting right around the "pedo guy" comment a few years ago is when
Musk started to lose his shine for me. Then over the years I gradually
thought less and less of him until finally I'm fully on board with the
Musk hate.
A shame cause I really like Space-X. But you have to realize the
accomplishments of Space-X aren't really because of Musk intelligence
or work drive or anything like that. It's from brilliant engineers
gladly taking a narcissists money and using that to drive innovation.
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[–]ReasonableHat60010k Moons is the goal 30 points 20 hours ago*
I actually worked at spaceX 2017-2019. Nothing noteworthy, a closeout
technician, fancy words for “tank cleaner”. We basically cleaned out
both the liquid oxygen and fuel side of the 2nd stage of the f9’s. And
installed the internal components.
Anyway, it was a horrible work/life experience. When I joined we were
working 12-16 shifts and alternating weekends. Eventually things
cooled down and it wasn’t as demanding but that was after we had a
huge layoff a little before I left. The leadership sucks and they
don’t last long because of the demanding workload. The silver lining
was the free iced coffee.
Edit: Elon did show up a few times. I maybe saw him walk through twice
with this woman that looked like a twitch streamer cosplaying a goth
schoolgirl.
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[–]hughheffresTin 14 points 18 hours ago
Lol Grimes that is too funny
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[–]benmck90 5 points 20 hours ago
Cool insight. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
As an aside... I just make my emotional support iced coffee at home.
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[–]ABena2tBronze | r/WSB 35 2 points 18 hours ago
nice. did you quit? get laid off? fired? what happened?
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[–]soyoudohaveaplanTin 2 points 8 hours ago
That makes sense. I have always wondered how SpaceX manages to build
things at such an insane pace.
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[–]Walla_Walla_26Tin | ETH critic 2 points 18 hours ago
Elon has been kind of a tool lately. Buying twitter….wtf was he
thinking? Maybe I’ll be proven wrong
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[–]soyoudohaveaplanTin 3 points 8 hours ago
Would those brilliant engineers have spontaneously assembled to create
SpaceX without him? Probably not.
He obviously contributes something other than just money. Remember
that SpaceX nearly went bankrupt.
I do admire his achievements as an entrepreneur. That doesn't mean I
need to like him as a person though.
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[–]haarp1 1 point 6 hours ago
also tesla, but if was from their own making - banking too much on
robots if remember correctly (alien dreadnaught)
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[–]Dude_McGuy0Tin | CelsiusNet. 45 24 points 20 hours ago*
Agreed. The US in particular has a sort of "celebrity worship" culture
that I don't understand. And it's not a new thing, it's been around
waaay before social media. It's what fuels the entertainment channels
and magazine sales at the check out stand.
People put their favorite movie stars, pro athletes, musicians, and
rich people in general on a pedestal. These people shouldn't have any
significant influence over the population for any topic that isn't
related to how they became rich/famous. But for some reason they do.
If a basketball player endorses an athletic shoe that at least makes
some sense. They probably have a good idea of what makes a good sports
shoe. But if a Basketball player endorses a car? No one should give a
shit. The person on the commercial is not an expert in what makes a
good car. But people fall into this marketing hook line and sinker
anyway.
And that's how we end up with Tom Brady, Lebron James, and Matt Damon
shilling for crypto companies.
In the case of the ultra-wealthy types like Elon Musk, Warren Buffet,
etc. People should only pay attention to their advice that is related
to what made them wealthy.
No one should give a shit about what Musk has to say about free
speech, politics, social media policy, cryptocurrency, etc. The guy is
famous for start-up technology companies, anything he has to say
outside of the topic of business/technology shouldn't be taken any
more seriously than asking your neighbor.
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[–]Sav89_Tin 8 points 19 hours ago
Some people just eat up what they see in the media and don't apply any
sort of critical thinking. They need to apply the classic rule of
crypto; DYOR.
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[–]Mediocre_Piccolo8542Silver | QC: CC 106 | ADA 141 4 points 10 hours ago
The US is simply more materialistic culture where people always want
the newest car and newest phone. Worshipping people who create,
advertise, or can at least afford all the newest material stuff is the
consequence of it.
Another new trend from there - bunch of fake motivational gurus and
fake businessmen running from one podcast to another making smart
faces while talking platitudes and giving terrible advice.
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[–]haarp1 5 points 6 hours ago
this.
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[–]krollAYPlatinum | QC: ETH 84, DAI 36, CC 32 | TraderSubs 77 5
points 16 hours ago
It’s the belief that prosperity is always earned and therefore Elon
must be extremely smart and deserving to get where he is. It ignores
the fact that Musk and most of his peers started on third base and
think they hit a homer, and that a lot of success in business is down
to luck or timing or really just about who you know.
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[–]Cravensworth_reduxPlatinum | QC: CC 60, DOGE 22 | BANANO 10 2
points 11 hours ago
Yes. If someone has reach the billionaire status then they must be
smart and brilliant. Never mind that the had 100s of millions to start
with ha
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[–]Scarecrow4980 8 points 20 hours ago
I'll never understand the celebrity cult.
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[–]w_savageCrypto is my personality. 5 points 19 hours ago
I think it's just fun to see them living a life that we wished we had.
(Not me personally)
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[–]Routine-Detail-5576Platinum | QC: CC 26 | Buttcoin 16 4 points 18 hours ago
Yeah but the cult around crypto makes total sense.
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[–]Ill-Addition2024Tin 3 points 12 hours ago
I wont trust Binance again, just buy my crypto and send it to my Ledger
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[–]Cravensworth_reduxPlatinum | QC: CC 60, DOGE 22 | BANANO 10 2
points 11 hours ago
I agree with that logic entirely.
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[–]Ill-Addition2024Tin 2 points 11 hours ago
Shoutout to Banano
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[–]CryptoScamee42069Bronze 3 points 19 hours ago
The answer is simple. They have money. We want money. 99% of us are
looking for a get rich quick scheme and they think that’s the easiest
way.
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[+]Vivid-Accident712 10 points 20 hours ago (0 children)
[–]statesBoy313JustHodlIt 5 points 21 hours ago
hey, if they give me 1 BTC they can surely be my friends
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[–]RooostyfitalllTin 6 points 18 hours ago
DEFI fixes this
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[–]EmuGroundbreaking348Platinum | QC: CC 68 9 points 21 hours ago
I heard they finger horses now too. Nobody's safe anymore
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[–]GabeSterPlatinum | QC: DOGE 2475, CC 858 14 points 20 hours ago
Can you blame them?
/s obviously
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[–]AnonyMustardGas34Tin 6 points 20 hours ago
Finger Horse Inu to the moon
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[–]brainpower11Tin | CC critic 7 points 21 hours ago
If i had a billionaire friend i wouldn't be checking the charts (at
least this much)
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[–]EpicMichaelFreemanSilver | QC: CC 135, BNB 18 | ADA 472 | NVIDIA 58
4 points 12 hours ago
CZ and Binance have done a lot of good for the crypto industry.
Without Binance, there would be a lot less crypto adoption.
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[–]Rory_RussellBronze 1 point 11 hours ago
I agree. Plus CZ follows me on Twitter so I definitely agree 😄
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[–]bccrz_Tin | BANANO 16 7 points 19 hours ago
CZ just did a hostile takeover of a major competitor at the expense of
investors/shareholders. Billionaires are only beholden to their
ambition.
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[–]HughMungusEnigmaTin 8 points 19 hours ago
I would argue he did it because SBF is lobbying for stupid crypto
regulations that would serve to benefit only SBF and co. At least
that's the move I would make if I were in CZs position as he's holding
tokens of a project that conflicts with his core values. I'm not
convinced any billionaire has the evil intent implied by OP but rather
are obsessed with the game of business and are detached from the
reality of the people behind the money they acquire. Friend or foe
doesn't really matter. A few billionaires throwing a few hundred mill
around contributes a few hundred mill more to a market cap than if
they weren't around at all. They also have the power to convince the
whole world that CBDCs are the way to go and that crypto is just tech
for criminals like all the other billionaires think. So to that extent
they most definitely are our friends and if we're so concerned about
day to day volatility then government bonds are the play.
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[–]CumonNowLesgoTin 2 points 18 hours ago
Finally!! someone who actually thinks with a brain here.
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[–]Red5point1Platinum | QC: DOGE 126, CC 62 1 point 8 hours ago
indifference is evil.
he didn't care who was going to be affected.
the means does not justify the ends.
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[–]BringerofsalvationPlatinum | QC: CC 95 11 points 21 hours ago
Yep, billionaires didn’t get to where they are by caring about
anything other than their bottom line.
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[–]KeyzAndBagz 3 points 21 hours ago
Gotta shit on a lot of people to get to the top
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[–]p1AmericaTin 1 point 21 hours ago
humanity is never a requirement for massive wealth consolidation
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[–]Amazing_Succotash677Tin | CC critic 6 points 21 hours ago
No shit
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[–]justswallowhardTin | ETH critic 3 points 20 hours ago
Why would they mix with peasants
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[–]Titozar13Platinum | QC: CC 48 5 points 21 hours ago
Decentralization is our best friend.
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[–]fabiodrumsTin 6 points 19 hours ago
Decentralization? What is that?
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[–]CryptoScamee42069Bronze 3 points 19 hours ago
Beats me but I hope to find out when I get a best friend
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[–]sickvisionzSilver | QC: CC 568, r/DeFi 101 | r/SSB 24 | Politics 21
7 points 20 hours ago
Someone literally posted "CZ and SBF aren't your friends" this
morning. Stop farming.
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[–]PrinceZero1994 2 points 20 hours ago
I won't be here if they were my friends.
I'd be right there with them living the life.
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[–]DKIPurpleTin | Superstonk 22 2 points 19 hours ago
The only billionaire I trust is future me 🤞🏾
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[–]Balantines_ka_chodaTin | 3 months old | CC critic 2 points 12 hours ago
We know, never trust billionaires.
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[–]afischer83Bronze | ADA 5 2 points 9 hours ago
One of them already not a billionaire
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[–]BatmanNightBronze 2 points 9 hours ago
We were laughing and stuff but they really did a number on us
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[–]DerWaldbubTin | 0 months old 3 points 15 hours ago
I know they are not my friends. And I don't expect them to be my
friends. But in the case of Musk: I like Tesla and Tesla has increased
the speed of electrical car adoption. I like Starlink. I like rockets
that go up and LAND again. That's futuristic for me.
And if Musk gets Starship together, Humankind will - just like that -
enter a new phase of space exploration. I can't hate Musk for that.
The behemoth NASA doesn't get any of that done.
As for CZ. I have money on his exchange, I'm staking there. He keeps
his exchange strong. He makes BNB be relevant. For me, seeking for
financial freedom, that's attractive.
Sure monopoly is bad and yada yada, but RIGHT now my money is
relatively safe. It's not on some exchange that can collapse over the
weekend. And for that - again - I can't hate CZ.
Actually, they're doing what I want them to do.
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[–]Mountain-Bar-2878Tin 2 points 20 hours ago
Shitpost, we already know this
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[–]meeleen223Moons = Magic Internet Money Vol. 2 4 points 21 hours ago
CZ has the same ideas of grandeur like Zuck and Elon
Elon on the other hand is a narcissit who tries hard to be relatable
to us commoners
In the end we are just pawns to them
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[–]bny192677Platinum | QC: CC 403 12 points 21 hours ago
I cant forget the day elon dumped Bitcoin payment and the market
crashed , fuk him
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[–]Ill-Addition2024Tin 2 points 12 hours ago
Their only intend is to take money from retail
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[–]SomewhereAtWorkTin | Politics 11 2 points 11 hours ago
Don't call youself "retail" and make it sound like a mom 'n' pop shop.
You are as greedy and bad as they are. The only difference is that you are poor.
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[–]busmobbingTin 3 points 20 hours ago
Elon musk is my friend.
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[–]bad-crypto-adviceDon’t do the opposite of what I say. 6 points 21 hours ago*
No
How dare you speak about my heroes like this.
These billionaires are geniuses. They know better than you how to
handle your money. Their richness proves it. They deserve your money
and respect, otherwise they’ll never bring us into wealth once they’ve
reached the pinnacle.
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[–]DeeperBagsTin 6 points 21 hours ago
Is this a sarcastic bot with a serious comment or a serious bot with a
sarcastic comment or both?
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[–]DeeperBagsTin 10 points 21 hours ago
It's a serious person that looks like a sarcastic bot posting a serious comment.
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[–]bad-crypto-adviceDon’t do the opposite of what I say. 5 points 21 hours ago
Definitely not a bot. And very serious. I’m one of the best investors
in this entire community.
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[–]Ill-Addition2024Tin 2 points 12 hours ago
One of the most famous
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[–]OneThatNoseOneBronze[S] 4 points 21 hours ago
lol mate for your vote ratio you might really want to add a /s
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[–]AnonyMustardGas34Tin 8 points 20 hours ago
Look at his username 😉
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[–]bad-crypto-adviceDon’t do the opposite of what I say. 4 points 20 hours ago
Why would you assume that I’m being sarcastic?
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[–]Four_KrustiesTin 2 points 16 hours ago
/s is for cowards
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[–]Ill-Addition2024Tin 2 points 12 hours ago
Ah I just saw your username and it's you. All good
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[–]CymandeTVYour forever DM 2 points 21 hours ago
Révolution !
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[–]MortalFarmerTin 3 points 19 hours ago
cry some more
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[–]Part-SelectBronze | QC: CC 24 2 points 20 hours ago
what if CZ is my friend in real life
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[–]FadedPosterSilver | QC: CC 146, ETH 35 | ADA 64 | Politics 163 1
point 19 hours ago
He’s my friends uncle
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[–]Chora_agora69Tin -1 points 18 hours ago
Hate him anyway
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[–]BYEenbroPlatinum | QC: DOGE 95 | CC critic 3 points 20 hours ago
Hitpiece 💩
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[–]I_Love_FonesTin 2 points 19 hours ago
This week's crypto volatility teaches all of us:
Don't use blockchains funded by centralized exchanges e.g. Binance
Smart Chain, Cronos, KCC.
Don't use centralized exchanges that promote their own minted
tokens for trading discount e.g. Binance, FTX, KuCoin.
Don't trust millionaires and billionaires that are posting often
on social media; they have an agenda as shown with the FTT and Solana
crash.
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[–]HughMungusEnigmaTin 3 points 19 hours ago
I only use Binance and I'm doing fine and idk how you came to that
conclusion. Did you know they have a flexible interest saver for USDT
and BUSD that pays 8%? my shitty bank charges me monthly account
keeping fees and only offers an interest rate of fuck all with bonus
fuck all if I don't withdraw. So idk what alternative there is. All I
see from defi is hacks on bridges and everyone's over leveraged.
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[–]I_Love_FonesTin 3 points 18 hours ago
I've been doing just fine earning yield in Defi. To each his/her own.
If CZ is willing to crash another exchange's crypto as a hostile
takeover maneuver, then I want nothing to do with his exchange,
blockchain, or BNB/BUSD.
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[+]Zaytion_ 2 points 19 hours ago (13 children)
[–]da_real_jubjubTin 2 points 19 hours ago
They've helped develop the tech industry and have brought good things
to the crypto world. Theyre not my friends but they're also not the
enemy.
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[–]HughMungusEnigmaTin 1 point 18 hours ago
Exactly! I'd rather they throw a few hundred mill into the market cap
and spread the positivity of financial freedom than be any other
billionaire and just say it's only tech for criminals and that we
should all be excited for CBDCs and long for the day that we own
nothing and everything is a rental.
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[–]Infamous_Barnacle_17Tin | TRX 5 | AvatarTrading 11 1 point 21 hours ago
I truly believe billionaires are the scourge of the earth but that
doesn’t mean we can’t benefit from their actions.
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[–]ThatInternetGuyPlatinum | QC: CC 87, BNB 61 | TRX 8 | r/Prog. 165 2
points 19 hours ago
If they don't provide utility, it means you're benefiting from the next guys.
Think of some music streaming service where millions are happy to pay
to listen to songs, and if you invest in such a service, you're
profiting from revenues generated from the utility. On the other hand,
if you're profiting from the tweets of billionaires, you're just
gambling which is never sustainable.
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[–]Intelligent_Page2732Platinum | QC: CC 912 1 point 21 hours ago
Like they will ever become a friend of a nobody like me.
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[–]Cosmic___Anomaly22Tin | 3 months old 1 point 21 hours ago
anyone who is rich is not your friend
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[–]CryptoScamee42069Bronze 5 points 19 hours ago
I can’t wait until I’m so rich everyone hates me
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[–]xContaminatedxTin 1 point 20 hours ago
As much as I hate to say it, coinbase seems to have proven itself as
being a very top Exchange, while yes the fees are ridiculously high,
and their spread on prices are rough, it’s a US, publicly traded,
regulated, company that, other than the recent poly incident that even
effected me, has stayed the most consistent and least controversial.
Coin base not having their own coin is honestly being shown to be the
best method for an exchange. Granted this isn’t to say coinbase is the
best, or that it doesn’t have major flaws, but it seems to be the
least controversial.
If only they don’t have half ass customer support
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[–]Connect_Fee1256Bronze 2 points 15 hours ago
Kraken makes them look pretty average
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[–]DMugreIn Satoshi we trust 1 point 19 hours ago
All my friends are dead, push me to the edge🎼
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[–]aZamarykBronze | GMEJungle 170 | Superstonk 346 1 point 19 hours ago
Theyre all scammers. Fuck them all.
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[–]2globalnomadsTin 0 points 21 hours ago
Billionaires like SBF, CZ, Musk Are Not Our Friends And Never Will Be
I am afraid you got that wrong. Musk will always be your friend as
long as you keep polluting our planet with his electric cars.
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[–]HannyBo9Platinum | QC: CC 52 0 points 21 hours ago
You wouldn’t hate yourself if you were one.
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[–]Alex_The_Old_KidPlatinum | QC: CC 248 -2 points 20 hours ago
You don t become a billionaire by being friendly
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[–]Ill-Addition2024Tin 2 points 11 hours ago
Truth has been spoken
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[–]eviloctoPlatinum | QC: CC 38 | Politics 84 2 points 11 hours ago
And for some reason he's being down voted for it.
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[–]DeeperBagsTin -2 points 20 hours ago
Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos is quietly buying his 2 millionth bitcoin and snickering.
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[–]XohduhPlatinum | QC: CC 325 | TraderSubs 10 0 points 18 hours ago
Eat the rich
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[–]54sTAtEsTin | 0 months old 0 points 18 hours ago
A lot of jealousy in this sub. We are involved with finances and
you’re shitting on the most successful people in this field. You can
live however you want but don’t preach out of jealousy and misguided
hate it’s not a good look.
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[–]SnowbatttPlatinum | QC: CC 523, BTC 15 | ADA 10 | Unpop.Opin. 13 0
points 14 hours ago
Thanks, Captain Obvious.
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[–]supercali45Platinum | QC: ALGO 26, CC 17 | Politics 488 0 points 12
hours ago
Duh .. MuskRats didn’t learn from when he crashed crypto last year
with his Doge coin SNL bullshit, him buying Bitcoin for Tesla and
dumping when convenient, him tweeting to pump and dump suckers
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[–]Danji1Tin 0 points 11 hours ago
Thank you captain obvious.
Anyone he believed otherwise deserves to lose all their money.
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[–]aminokPlatinum | QC: ETH 427, CC 385 | TraderSubs 388 -2 points 18
hours ago*
Musk has done an incredible job in helping human civilization move
forward, with SpaceX and Tesla. I don't want him - or any one for that
matter - to own the financial system, and that's why I support
Ethereum/decentralized-finance, but I do support his efforts in those
fields which are currently not amenable to decentralization, like
rocket launches to space and battery electric vehicle manufacturing.
As for your pop-critique of Musk which is mostly regurgitated from
anti-Musk tweets by diehard Democrats - who are targeting Musk only
because he's not onboard with the Democrat's censorship regime - let's
parse it:
Elon Musk outright manipulates markets to his whim and fancy and
seems to find it a fun game that he partakes in gleefully as investors
may lose their life savings, futures and family funds.
Musk exercises his right to Free Speech, by commenting on things. If
idiots decide to invest based on jokes he tweets about Doge, that's on
them, not Musk. Musk has no legal or moral obligation to self-censor,
because what he does by tweeting is not "manipulate markets".
He talks a big game about free speech but has started permanently
suspending accounts that "impersonate others", which are generally
actually obvious account parodies especially those done to him.
When those accounts are using the exact same tactic that scammers use
to deceive people, which is to copy the display name and profile
picture of a famous person's account, then it's no longer just parody,
it's deception, and fair game for banning.
He also plays a certain segment of crypto "investors" like fiddles
who pump the market and get dumped on when he "doesn't follow through"
on a tweet and heavily suggest ideas he has no intention of
implementing.
See point one: he has a right to free speech. Casual musings are not
indications he intends to do anything, and any one who perceives it
otherwise only has themselves to blame.
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[–]FootballBat69Platinum | QC: CC 206 1 point 20 hours ago
Fuck em all
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[–]pmbproinvalid string or character detected 1 point 20 hours ago
Agree. Waiting for the next tiresome fake battle of the ‘beefing’
billionaires too.
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[+]ShinobiHanzo 1 point 19 hours ago (0 children)
[–]Odysseus_LannisterPlatinum | QC: CC 1447 1 point 19 hours ago
I think people conflate themselves as “pre-billionaires” where they
idolize behavior like this because they think it will make them
successful.
News flash: it doesn’t. It just makes you a petty dick without
billions of dollars. You’re never gonna be Uber rich, so start
enjoying the littler things in life and learn to live happily within
your financial realm.
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[–]Cheese6260Bronze 1 point 19 hours ago
They play life with different rules
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[–]fabiodrumsTin 1 point 19 hours ago
CZ is the shadow of the Do Kwon sorcery.
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[–]lordchickenburgerMoon and bitcoin are me love 1 point 19 hours ago
moral of the story we should rich people are there to F everyone
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[–]HeyYes7776Tin 1 point 19 hours ago
Um sorry to say the same investors that backed the web2 assholes have
centralized the web3 investment deal flow and all the data to source
and pump their founders companies.
And now here comes Blackrock!!!
Lol
these web2 LPs and Investors only invest in people just like them.
It’s what makes this market a real danger to the economy.
How is Andreessen going to invest in an “anti-Zuck”? They love themselves.
They only back founders that reflect themselves back to them.
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[–]dig1futureTin | 1 month old 1 point 19 hours ago
Exceptions in mind most are controlled too man if they actually rose
from lower classes over time. Its why I prefer to get high multi
millions at most because you still get to do what ya want. Not so at
those levels and higher.
They will also be the first, again exceptions in mind as always, to
see the effects of all this tech like CBDCs in action. They have their
own unique situation.
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[–]vegetablewizardTin 1 point 19 hours ago
Someone should repost this every day
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[–]masstransienceBronze | QC: CC 19 | LRC 7 | Politics 117 1 point 19 hours ago
But they said they’d love me forever if I just gave them everything I had…
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[–]Waiting-For-Godot-64Tin 1 point 19 hours ago
Were they supposed to be? I think not.
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[–]RCBT88Tin 1 point 19 hours ago
I thought we were friends Matt 🤕🥲
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[–]Mikeyctc 1 point 19 hours ago*
Everyone needs to find ERGO or projects that instill the same
transparency and values,. ERGO is truly decentralized, Fair launch,
and working toward defi solutions that are for users, Not the VC’s and
scam artists
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[–]thenudelmanSilver | QC: CC 837 | IOTA 35 | TraderSubs 15 1 point 19
hours ago
There are no friends in the market
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[–]kgentesTin 1 point 18 hours ago
If you think that SBF is a billionaire, you aren't paying attention.
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[–]DreadknotXPlatinum | QC: CC 116, XRP 25, BTC 19 | Politics 13 1
point 18 hours ago
I’ve had my suspicions
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[–]KevinOpelFounder of Delay 1 point 18 hours ago
I thought all the Billionaires were cool with us :(
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[–]revertiblefateTin 1 point 18 hours ago
True thats why we shouldn't pick side on this crypto exchange turf
war. Binance is trying to enter us market by buying out ftx.
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[–]Individual__Tin 1 point 17 hours ago
Absolutely. They'll always sellout for money
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[–]Next_Foundation_3892Tin 1 point 18 hours ago
The video that started the debate. All Retailers pay the price. SELF
CUSTODY PRIME IMPORTANCE IN BEAR MARKETS! https://youtu.be/Ytaa_5liwMA
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[–]letsgetyoustartedTin | GMEJungle 5 | GME subs 21 1 point 18 hours ago
OP all I want to know is, are you my friend?
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[–]Ill-Addition2024Tin 2 points 12 hours ago
I am your friend, not just because we both lost a lot of money this year
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[–]Ephemeral_DreadBronze | NEO 5 1 point 18 hours ago
SBF isn't a billionaire ;)
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[–]Ill-Addition2024Tin 2 points 12 hours ago
Yikes
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[–]CVV1Platinum | QC: CC 88 | PCgaming 18 1 point 18 hours ago
SBF is no longer a billionaire. You should fix the title.
It’s easier to go from billionaire to millionaire in crypto than anything else.
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[–]Kevin3683Silver|QC:CC474,ETH44,BTC39|CelsiusNet.51|ExchSubs34 1
point 18 hours ago
Elon is the “I’m not like the other girls” of billionaires
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[–]LemonConnoiseurTin | 3 months old 1 point 18 hours ago
I ain’t anyones friend and I ain’t rich
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[–]baha3xTin 1 point 18 hours ago
And still there is someone out there buying dogecoin because of elon
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1
35
All minority and female police in the US must be assumed to be fans of Adolph Hitler as we as staunchly militant blue-collar trade-unionists.
Clearly this is not a Black and White problem - Its a Black and Blue one. And only anarchists will abolish the Police.
Most political reformers have some part of the unfree system they wish to abolish Republicans would abolish the monarchy, Secularists would abolish or disestablish the Church, Socialists would (or used to) wish to abolish the apparatus of exploitation; pacifists would abolish the Army. Anarchism is unique in wishing to abolish all.
Could be a good week for Big Igloo types in the US to ambush and murder minority cops - or any cops. They have my full tactical solidarity and support. Esp in Florida. You don't want to get frost-nip when killing pig-cops.
Men and women of the worlds police work every day to fuck the public. You can fuck some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you are going to end up in a body bag or a pinebox before you manage to fuck all of the people all of the time.
2
1

A Trump Prosecutor's Memoir Of A Case That Didn't Happened -- At Least Not Yet-- Is Latest Tell-All Controvers - Libel & Defamation - United States
by Gunnar Larson 31 Jan '23
by Gunnar Larson 31 Jan '23
31 Jan '23
https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/libel--defamation/1276058/a-trump-prose…
There is a long and rich history in the United States of government
officials writing "tell-all" books about their experiences. Vincent
Bugliosi wrote about his prosecution of Charles Manson. Two ex-prosecutors
wrote "Stonewall," the "real story" of the Watergate prosecutions. Jeffrey
Toobin wrote "Opening Arguments" about his role in the Iran-Contra
investigation. Kenneth Starr wrote "Contempt" about his Whitewater
prosecution. And John Bolton, James Comey and Andrew McCabe (among others)
wrote revealing books about the workings of the Trump Presidency.
There's also a long and rich history of government outrage (and sometimes
litigation) because these works allegedly disclose confidential, classified
or privileged information in violation of the author's fiduciary or
contractual obligations, or because of disputes regarding the government's
often cumbersome vetting process. See, e.g., Penguin Books USA v. Walsh,
756 F. Supp. 770 (S.D.N.Y. 1990) (allowing publication of Toobin book;
whether or not having prosecutors publish is a wise idea, "there is no
permanent "gag" on prosecutors from speaking or writing about
investigations and prosecutions which they have conducted or in which they
have been involved"), vacated, 929 F.2d 69 (2d Cir. 1991).
The latest controversy involving a former prosecutor's book is an
especially bizarre addition to this canon. On January 18, 2023, the
Manhattan District Attorney demanded that its former prosecutor, Mark
Pomerantz, "pause" the scheduled February 7 publication date of his new
book, "People v. Donald Trump: An Inside Account" so that the DA can review
it to make sure pending investigations are not compromised by his
disclosures. (The DA has not yet seen the manuscript.)
What's going on? Well, Pomerantz's book focuses on something that didn't
happen while he was in the DA's office: the indictment of former President
Donald Trump, a non-event Pomerantz has described as a "grave injustice."
But – less than a year after Pomerantz's angry resignation because of this
alleged inaction – the DA says it is now actively pursuing just such a
prosecution. The DA is concerned that Pomerantz's publication of a book
setting forth the case against Donald Trump (and lamenting that it was
never filed) at the same time as the DA is preparing to bring the case
against Donald Trump could be harmful to the prosecution (and, one might
add, would be very confusing).
Put differently, assuming People v. Donald Trump is published on
schedule,it would be the first prosecutorial "tell-all" in American history
written about a criminal case before it was ever filed.
If this sounds weird, it is.
Pomerantz is a well-known former federal prosecutor and criminal defense
lawyer. In February 2021, at the behest of then-District Attorney Cyrus
Vance, Pomerantz joined the DA's office as one of the leaders of the team
probing Donald Trump's financial dealings. In that role, Pomerantz formed
the strong view that Trump was "guilty of numerous felony violations"
involving false financial statements and was said to be preparing to
present the case to a grand jury in late 2021. However, in November 2021,
with Vance retiring, Alvin Bragg was elected DA.
In March 2022, Pomerantz noisily resigned from the DA's office because, as
he described it, Bragg had decided to indefinitely suspend the pursuit of
an indictment against the former President. In an open letter to Bragg,
Pomerantz noted that Bragg had raised "issues as to the legal and factual
sufficiency of the case" and questioned "the likelihood that a prosecution
would succeed." Pomerantz had tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade Bragg
that, although "no case is perfect," prosecutors believed Trump would be
convicted before an impartial jury.
Pomerantz declared that Bragg's decision not to prosecute Donald Trump
immediately on the existing record "is misguided and completely contrary to
the public interest" and "will doom any future prospects that Mr. Trump
will be prosecuted for the criminal conduct we have been investigating,"
leaving Trump a free man when (in Pomerantz's view) he should not be.
In the ensuing months, Pomerantz wrote a book to address this perceived
injustice and secured Simon & Schuster as its publisher. According to the
Amazon blurb about the new book, it tells the story of Pomerantz's
"unprecedented investigation, why he believes Donald Trump should be
prosecuted, and what we can learn about the nature of justice in America
from this extraordinary case." The book is described as a "cautionary tale
that illuminates the challenges of prosecuting Donald Trump, why Trump
manages to dance between the raindrops of accountability" and how
prosecutions in other jurisdictions might still bring him to justice. Simon
& Schuster adds that the book explains why a justified indictment "never
happened."
It turns out that "never" might be a pretty short time. Notwithstanding
Pomerantz's resignation, in 2022 Bragg's office continued to pursue a case
against Allen Weisselberg, the long-time CFO of the Trump Organization,
obtaining a guilty plea in August. The Office also obtained a conviction at
trial in December of the Trump Organization for criminal tax fraud and
falsifying business records.
In the midst of this activity, on November 21, 2022, the press first
reported that the DA had decided to "resuscitate" the Trump inquiry (The
New York Post) and "breathe new life into an inquiry that seemed to have
reached a dead end." (The New York Times). According to the Times, "the
prosecutors had decided to return to the investigation's original focus
under Pomerantz, i.e., the making and accounting for a 2016 "hush-money
payment" to Stormy Daniels, a "porn star who said she had an affair with
Mr. Trump."
Whatever prompted this revival of a potential prosecution against Trump,
subsequent media reports have indicated that Michael Cohen, President
Trump's former lawyer, and others involved in the alleged scheme to pay
Daniels to buy her silence have been meeting with attorneys in the DA's
office as the investigation heats up.
On January 18, 2023, the DA's general counsel wrote to Simon & Schuster
that, "in light of the pre-publication descriptions of his book and the
benefit of current knowledge of the matter," the DA "believes there is a
meaningful risk that the publication will materially prejudice ongoing
criminal investigations and related adjudicative proceedings." The letter
continued by saying that Mr. Pomerantz had previously promised to obtain
"prior written permission" from the DA before making any disclosure
"relating to the 'existence, nature, or content' of any communications or
records or documents that relate in any manner" to the investigation. The
DA promised to take no more than 60 days for its review.
According to the Wall Street Journal on January 18, 2023, Pomerantz and his
publisher have declined the request to submit the manuscript and intend to
publish on February 7, as scheduled. Pomerantz stated: "I am confident that
all of my actions with respect to the Trump investigation, including the
writing of my forthcoming book, are consistent with my legal and ethical
obligations."
Neither Pomerantz nor his publisher has addressed the obvious disconnect
between one of the premises for the book – the DA's failure to indict Trump
– and the DA's current pursuit of such an indictment. One may infer that,
by publishing, Pomerantz either does not believe the DA actually intends to
proceed or that his book will not impair any future prosecution. How ironic
it would be if publication of the People v. Donald Trump made it harder to
obtain the very guilty verdict that Pomerantz so desires, or makes
Pomerantz's predictions of "doom" from the delay a self-fulfilling prophecy.
As to the legal issues, it is hard to assess the merits of the parties'
positions at this juncture, especially without knowing the book's actual
contents. The DA's Office has not asked a court to enjoin publication, and
it would face a heavy burden to impose such a prior restraint on
publication. See, e.g., Neb. Press Ass'n v Stuart, 427 U.S. 539 (1976). For
a government to impose a prior restraint on freedom of expression, it must
generally show that such expression "will immediately and irreparably
create public injury " Arcara v. Cloud Books, 68 N.Y.2d 553, 558 (N.Y.
1986).
Nevertheless, this case has unique aspects. In most every other tell-all
book by a prosecutor, the author talks about a prosecution where the
evidence has already been presented in court and, at most, all that remains
are appeals. The potential prejudice is much more direct when the book is
published before trial. Here, to the extent that Pomerantz makes the case
that Trump should have been indicted, he is doing so before his successors
have presented that evidence, either to a grand jury or in open court. One
can readily imagine a Trump defense lawyer seeking to exploit disclosures
in the book such as Bragg's doubts about proceeding, or potential
differences in the characterization of evidence between Pomerantz and his
successors. Whether any of these factors is sufficient to establish
immediate and irreparable "public injury" is open to question.
There is also the possibility of a claim that the prosecutor has violated
New York Rules of Professional Conduct 3.6, which forbids a lawyer who "has
participated" in a criminal matter from making a public, extrajudicial
statement that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know "will have a
substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding
in the matter." The Rule provides that a statement is likely to be
materially prejudicial if (among other things) it relates to the
"character, credibility, reputation or criminal record of a party," or
expresses "any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of a defendant or
suspect in a criminal matter that could result in incarceration." Of
course, we don't yet know what is in the book so assessing the extent of
potential prejudice is impossible.
By the same token, Pomerantz is surely aware of his obligations as a former
prosecutor and has concluded that he need not share the manuscript with the
DA. He may well assert that the book appropriately relies on the mass of
public information about the case against Trump or merely reflects his
opinions on topics such as the societal consequences of the failure to
indict before now. As he no doubt correctly stated in his resignation
letter: "Many of the salient facts have been made public in proceedings
brought by the Office of the Attorney General." Moreover, the "hush money"
payment to Daniels was more than 6 years ago, and there have been numerous
public disclosures about the underlying facts (including in Congressional
inquiries and in the Southern District of New York prosecution of Michael
Cohen), as well as in a number of prior books.
As a result, it may be difficult for the DA to show what facts are really
"new" in Pomerantz's manuscript.
It is likely that the legal fall-out from publication will take a long time
to resolve. Bragg's office reportedly copied both the Department of
Investigation and the Conflicts of Interest Board on his letter to
Pomerantz. To the extent there is any public disclosure of confidential
information, that could also lead to a referral to an attorney disciplinary
committee. Unsurprisingly, Trump is unhappy with the prospective book and,
on January 23, his attorney warned Pomerantz and his publisher that he
would sue for defamation and "use every possible legal resource to punish
you and your publisher for the incredible financial harm that you have
caused my clients to suffer." (Pomerantz's response: "If the former
president should sue me, I will defend that litigation.")
As to other future litigation, there is little precedent for an action for
damages by the government for improper disclosure of information, though
the CIA was able to get a judgment in 2012 seizing all revenues that a
former CIA officer would receive from his unvetted and purportedly harmful
book, "The Human Factor: Inside the CIA's Dysfunctional Intelligence
Culture."
With all the moving parts here – the new book, the continuing DA
investigation, the threatened defamation suit and the other potential
fallout – this one will be worth watching.
1
0
On 1/10/23, Undiscussed Groomed for Male Slavery, One Victim of Many
<gmkarl+brainwashingandfuckingupthehackerslaves(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> Visitor: “
>
> i was going to post more but i think it’s inferrable from what was
> already said nd am confus3d some. i’m sure it will expand another way
> with more coping.
>
1
131
https://wallstreetonparade.com/2023/01/sullivan-cromwells-crypto-clients-ar…
Screenshot of November 8, 2022 Message Sent by Former Sullivan & Cromwell
Partner, Ryne Miller, to FTX Employees, Three Days Before FTX Filed
Bankruptcy (Source: Sam Bankman-Fried Draft Testimony to House Financial
Services Committee)
By Pam Martens and Russ Martens: January 31, 2023 ~
Andrew (Andy) Dietderich, Law Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell
Andrew (Andy) Dietderich, Law Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell Who Is
Involved in the FTX Bankruptcy Case
The 144-year old law firm, Sullivan & Cromwell, which previously prided
itself on being the go-to law firm for Wall Street, decided a few years
back to get deep in the swamp with all things crypto. That dicey decision
is now playing out in negative headlines that are dragging down the
reputation of the 900-attorney law firm.
Adding to questions swirling around its past legal representation of now
indicted crypto kingpin, Sam Bankman-Fried, as well as his bankrupt crypto
exchange, FTX, and his hedge fund, Alameda Research, is the fact that a
growing number of Sullivan & Cromwell’s other crypto clients are also in
various stages of distress. Notwithstanding that reality, the presiding
judge in the FTX bankruptcy proceedings, John Dorsey, signed an order on
January 20 naming Sullivan & Cromwell the lead counsel in the FTX
bankruptcy case.
But long before Judge Dorsey’s order was signed, Sullivan & Cromwell was
billing large bucks to FTX, acknowledging in a bankruptcy court filing that
over the prior 16 months it had collected legal fees and expenses of
$8,564,487.50 from FTX and its affiliates, plus a $12 million retainer for
FTX bankruptcy work.
According to Bloomberg Law, Sullivan & Cromwell “has more than 150 people
working on the FTX case, including 30 partners…” A court filing from
Sullivan & Cromwell shows that its partners can charge as much as $2,165
per hour. The final tab in the bankruptcy case is expected to land in the
“hundreds of millions of dollars” according to the Bloomberg Law article.
Sullivan & Cromwell snagged this very lucrative bankruptcy work, according
to a screen shot (see above) shared by Sam Bankman-Fried in the testimony
he was prepared to present to the House Financial Services Committee on
December 13, because it had a friendly former partner at FTX.
(Bankman-Fried was arrested by federal prosecutors from the Justice
Department and thus prevented from delivering his testimony in person, but
Forbes obtained a copy of the document.)
The inside man was Ryne Miller, who left Sullivan & Cromwell and went
directly to FTX.US as General Counsel in August of 2021. Despite Miller’s
eight years at Sullivan & Cromwell and more than three years working as
legal counsel at a federal regulator, Miller somehow managed not to notice
the following at FTX: there was no functioning Board of Directors; there
was no accounting department; there was no functioning compliance
department making sure that customer funds were not co-mingled with Sam
Bankman-Fried’s personal piggy bank, his hedge fund, Alameda Research. This
lack of corporate controls was described by the new FTX CEO, John Ray, at
the December 13 hearing of the House Financial Services Committee.
Despite these failures by Ryne Miller, John Ray reported in a declaration
filed on January 17 with the FTX bankruptcy court that Miller is “still
employed” by FTX.US, which is also part of the bankruptcy proceedings.
As a direct result of this lack of corporate controls, Ray told the House
panel that over $8 billion of customers funds are missing at FTX.
At a bankruptcy court hearing on January 20, a former FTX in-house
attorney, Daniel Friedberg, was prepared to testify as follows to the
court, according to a sworn declaration he filed:
“Mr. Miller informed me that it was very important for him personally to
channel a lot of business to S&C as he wanted to return there as a partner
after his stint at the Debtors. This bothered me very much and I told him
that his job was to only hire the best outside counsel for the job, and
that his allegiance was now to the Debtors and not S&C…”
And this:
“I told Mr. Miller that S&C was not the proper law firm to select [for the
bankruptcy proceedings] because of the claims and conflicts, as well as the
exorbitant costs of the firm. Mr. Miller told me that there was over $200
million cash in LedgerX and that he was going to send these funds to S&C,
and that bankruptcy legal costs were therefore not a problem…”
Friedberg appeared via Zoom on the day of the January 20 hearing. A lawyer,
Marshal Hoda, who was representing two FTX customers who were challenging
Sullivan & Cromwell being named lead counsel, asked Judge Dorsey to
question Friedberg. Dorsey denied the request and then signed the order
making Sullivan & Cromwell lead counsel.
While Sullivan & Cromwell enjoys the potential for billing tens of millions
of dollars in this bankruptcy case, this is a sampling of how its other
crypto clients are performing. (The law firm filed a listing of its current
and former crypto clients with the court so that potential conflicts could
be explored by a correctly suspicious U.S. Trustee, who represents the U.S.
Department of Justice in bankruptcy cases.)
BlockFi: BlockFi, a crypto exchange, is Sullivan & Cromwell’s current
client. It filed bankruptcy last November. It revealed that FTX and Sam
Bankman-Fried’s hedge fund, Alameda Research, owe it over $1 billion.
Coinbase: This publicly-traded crypto exchange is Sullivan & Cromwell’s
current client. It finished last year with a market value loss of 86
percent. Coinbase announced last June it was slashing 18 percent of its
workforce. It announced a further 20 percent headcount reduction this month.
Robinhood: This is a publicly-traded stock trading platform and Sullivan &
Cromwell’s current client. Sullivan & Cromwell concedes in a bankruptcy
court filing that it advised Bankman-Fried personally on a stock
transaction involving his purchase of more than half a billion dollars of
Robinhood stock. The monies to fund that transaction came from loans from
his hedge fund, Alameda Research, which prosecutors say was looting the
funds from FTX customer accounts. The Justice Department has seized those
Robinhood shares.
CNN reported yesterday that the Justice Department is alleging in its
criminal case against Bankman-Fried that “he attempted to obscure his
criminal misuse of FTX customer property,” by purchasing the Robinhood
shares “through a foreign special purchase vehicle with no public
connection to FTX or Alameda.” The lawyer and law firm that performed this
work for Bankman-Fried has yet to be explored in Judge Dorsey’s court.
Gemini is a current client of Sullivan & Cromwell. It has $900 million of
customer funds frozen at another bankrupt crypto firm, Genesis. On January
12, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged both firms with selling
unregistered securities.
Kraken is another crypto exchange that is a current client of Sullivan &
Cromwell. It settled charges in November with the U.S. Treasury Department
for evading sanctions on Iran; then announced later in the month that it
was laying off 30 percent of its workers.
Sequoia Capital is a current client of Sullivan & Cromwell. It was also a
large venture capital investor in FTX. It has now written down to zero its
entire investment of $214 million in FTX.
Silvergate Bank’s parent (publicly-traded Silvergate Capital) is listed as
a former client of Sullivan & Cromwell. Just exactly when that relationship
ended is not indicated. Silvergate Bank has managed to pull off a replay of
the panic bank runs in the early days of the Great Depression. On January
5, Silvergate reported that its “total deposits from digital asset
customers declined to $3.8 billion” as of December 31, 2022 (down from the
previously reported $11.9 billion on September 30, 2022.) That’s a shocking
68 percent drop in deposits in one quarter – at a (wait for it)
federally-insured bank backstopped by the U.S. taxpayer that also decided
to get deep in the crypto swamp. Silvergate’s publicly-traded stock lost 88
percent of its market value last year.
FTX was one of the crypto firms holding deposits at Silvergate. On December
6, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and John
Kennedy (R-LA) wrote to Silvergate demanding answers regarding the funds it
had transferred from FTX customer accounts to Bankman-Fried’s hedge fund,
Alameda Research. The Senators inquired as follows:
“Your bank’s involvement in the transfer of FTX customer funds to Alameda
reveals what appears to be an egregious failure of your bank’s
responsibility to monitor for and report suspicious financial activity
carried out by its clients. The public is owed a full accounting of the
financial activities that may have led to the loss of billions in customer
assets, and any role that Silvergate may have played in these losses.”
Despite all of this, Judge John Dorsey stated in open court on January 20
that he couldn’t see any evidence that Sullivan & Cromwell had a conflict
that would prevent it from serving as lead counsel in the FTX bankruptcy.
(Other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?)
1
0
/ ! / / \
1
27

30 Jan '23
Dear Joanne Verdejo:
Thank you very much.
These Coinbase records are very important to identify if Goldman Sachs has
violated their Deferred Prosection Agreement with the United States of
America.
Gunnar
Gunnar Larson
xNY.io - Bank.org
646-454-9107
On Tue, Jan 24, 2023, 8:51 AM <Joanne.Verdejo(a)dfs.ny.gov> wrote:
>
> Dear Gunnar Larson:
>
> I write to acknowledge receipt of the FOIL request that you submitted to
> the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) on 01/17/2023,
> which has been assigned the above referenced tracking number. This number
> should be the number that you refer to in all future communications with
> DFS.
>
>
>
> Your request has been referred to the appropriate DFS unit(s) to search
> for the records that are responsive to your request. The assigned unit(s)
> will contact you within 20 business days to (i) advise whether the unit has
> any records that are responsive to your request; (ii) grant or deny your
> request, if the unit has responsive records; or (iii) apprise you of the
> progress of your request, if the search or review of the records that you
> requested is still on-going.
>
> Thank you.
>
>
> New York State Department of Financial Services
>
> If you are a New York State resident and would like to register to vote or
> update your address, you may complete and submit to your County Board of
> Elections a New York State Voter Registration Form which can be found at
> http://www.ny.gov/services/register-vote .
>
> Tracking Number:FOIL-2023-093329-018900
>
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <noreply(a)its.ny.gov>
Date: Sat, Jan 14, 2023, 3:26 PM
Subject: FOIL Request Confirmation from Open FOIL NY
To: <G(a)xny.io>
Thank you for submitting your FOIL request through Open FOIL NY.
Here is your Open FOIL NY confirmation information for future reference:
LARSON_DFS_20230114152649702
LARSON_DOB_20230114152649702
LARSON_DTF_20230114152649702
INFORMATION SUBMITTED:
Records Requested From
Department of Financial Services
Division of the Budget
Department of Taxation and Finance
Short Title
Coinbase $100M Settlement Investigation Records
Description
Dear Madam or Sir: xNY.io - Bank.org kindly seeks access to any and all
records concerning New York State's investigation of Coinbase, comprising
the $100M settlement mentioned here:
https://www.dfs.ny.gov/reports_and_publications/press_releases/pr202301041.
We are requesting all public records from 2018 to 2022 concerning New
York's aforementioned Coinbase investigation. Moreover, xNY.io - Bank.org
seeks access to any and all records concerning New York's regulatory
scrutiny (and/or approval) of Goldman Sachs' partnership with Coinbase,
issuing the bank's first Bitcoin loan mentioned here:
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/goldman-sachs-partners-with-coinbase-for-ba….
In addition, xNY.io - Bank.org seeks any and all records concerning New
York's approach to Coinbase and Goldman Sachs compliance programs mandated
by the United States Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud
Section and Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section mentioned here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yx88RMoeLyyfbNK0RtPl4r-m8N21_1Sp/view?usp=….
Finally, xNY.io - Bank.org seeks records concerning New York's regulatory
approval of Coinbase engaging a fine of $50M to implement heightened
controls and additional procedures and policies relating to electronic
surveillance and investigation, due diligence on transactions or clients
and the use of third-party intermediaries across business units; and
enhancing anti-corruption training for all management and relevant
employees. Warm regards, Gunnar Larson Gunnar Larson xNY.io - Bank.org
646-454-9107
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and the respective Records Access Officer will contact you directly for
further processing of your request. Please allow up to five business days
for such communication(s). For your convenience, here is additional contact
information:
Department of Financial Services
One State Street
20th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Division of the Budget
State Capitol
Room 128
Albany, NY 12224
Department of Taxation and Finance
W.A. Harriman Campus
Bldg 9, Room 100,
Albany, NY 12227
1
2
Transmitted by Email to
Mr. Gunnar Larson
406 West 25th Street
New York, New York 10001
g(a)xny.io
Re: Freedom of Information Law request No. 2022-092039: Appeal dated
November 3, 2022
of the Department of Financial Services’ November 3, 2022 response
Dear Mr. Larson:
By email dated November 3, 2022, you are appealing pursuant to New York
State Public Officers
Law Section 89, the Department of Financial Services’ (the “Department”)
November 3, 2022
response (the “Determination”) to your Freedom of Information Law (“FOIL”)
request No. 2022-
092039
1 which the Department construed as
“Any and all documents concerning the Superintendent’s said role with Brex
(Declaration on said disclosure form)”
In your appeal, you state “[p]lease find a copy of the corresponding
financial disclosure form, that
was also included in the FOIL request: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m1
ikLnjkr7lwt2pKqIxnnUKkgzBz7dh/view?usp=drivesdk. Question 4(a), ‘Positions
of Authority’
lists an advisory role at ‘Brex, Inc.’ Furthrtmore, the role’s “State or
Local Agency” is indicated
as ‘DFS’.’ Our request is not intended to be vague, however, we seek
records specific to the DFS
role with Brex, Inc.” [Sic]
The Determination informed you that your FOIL request does not meet the
standard set forth in
Public Officers Law (“POL”) § 89(3), which requires a FOIL request to
reasonably describe the
records sought. This means that the description of the documents sought
must be sufficient to
allow the agency to locate and identify the documents requested and that
agency employees are
not required to engage in unreasonable efforts to locate records.2
I concur with the
Determination’s conclusion that your request does not reasonably describe
the records that you
seek.
As was explained to you in the Determination, a FOIL request is not
reasonably described if the
agency cannot locate the requested record using its indexing or filing
system, or, with respect to
the agency’s electronic records, there is no single search term or
combination of search terms that
will result in the location of the record. See Asian American Legal Defense
& Educ. Fund v. NYC
Police Dep’t, 41 Misc.3d 471 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County 2013), aff’d 125 A.D.3d
531 (1st Dep’t 2015).
Additionally, where an agency must manually review voluminous records
simply to locate
responsive records, courts have held that such a request does not
reasonably describe the records
sought. Badar v. Bove, 273 A.D.2d Dep’t 2000), appeal den. 95 N.Y.2d 764
(2000) (finding that
a request for “[a]ll notes, records, correspondence, meeting minutes and
other records related to
the adoption and/or revision of the Village Zoning Code’s prohibition of
commercial activity” was
not reasonably described).
When a FOIL request requires an agency to make subjective judgments to
determine whether a
record is responsive, that request may be found to have not reasonably
described the records. For
instance, in the Committee on Open Government (“Committee”) Opinion No.
FOIL-AO-11960
(February 17, 2000), the Committee opined that a FOIL request that sought
records “tending to
support” a particular statement, or “utilized”, “used” or “relating to”
“various activities” was not
reasonably described request for records under Public Officers Law Article
6. A response to such
a request “would involve making subjective judgments a series of judgments
based on opinions,
some of which would be subjective, mental impressions”, and require
“ascertaining which records
might ‘tend to support’ a statement [that] would involve an attempt to
render a judgment regarding
the use, utility, accuracy or value of records.” The Committee futher
opined that “for purposes of
[FOIL], a request for such materials would not meet the standard of
‘reasonably describing’the
records sought, for such a request would not enable the Department to
locate and identify the
records in the manner envisioned by that statute.” See also Committee
Opinion No. FOIL-AO-
12012 (March 28, 2000), in which the Commttee opined that a request for
“documentation utilized
by SED to evaluate ‘certain needs, actions and functions’ was not
reasonably described request for
records under FOIL.
Accordingly, I affirm the Department’s Determination.
Sincerely,
Christine M. Tomczak
Assistant Counsel
cc: NYS Committee on Open Government
One Commerce Plaza
99 Washington Avenue, Suite 650
Albany, NY 12231;l
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Tomczak, Christine (DFS) <christine.tomczak(a)dfs.ny.gov>
Date: Mon, Jan 30, 2023, 4:30 PM
Subject: FOIL Request #2022-092039
To: Gunnar Larson <g(a)xny.io>
Cc: dos.sm.Coog.InetCoog <dosCOOG(a)dos.ny.gov>
Dear Mr. Larson,
See attached letter.
Christine M. Tomczak
Assistant Counsel
New York State Department of Financial Services
1 State Street, New York, New York 10004
1
0
Transmitted by Email to
Mr. Gunnar Larson
406 West 25th Street
New York, New York 10001
g(a)xny.io
Re: Freedom of Information Law request No. 2022-090440: Appeal dated
September 30,
2022 of the Department of Financial Services’ September 19, 2022 response
Dear Mr. Larson:
By email dated September 30, 2022, you are appealing pursuant to New York
State Public Officers
Law Section 89, the Department of Financial Services’ (the “Department”)
September 30, 2022
response (the “Determination”) to your Freedom of Information Law (“FOIL”)
request No. 2022-
090440 for
“[A]ny and all records related to New York State and NYS-DFS’ approach to
enforcement of “Permission for Interlocking Directors and Officers” as per
outlined here https://www.dfs.ny.gov/apps_ and
licensing/banks_and_trusts/other/Permission_for Interlocking
Directors_and_Officers. In addition, we would like to receive and and all
records
associated with filed permissions for interlocking directorates at the
NAACP and
Goldman Sachs, specific to Mr. Rose (https://naacp.org/people/peter-rose
and Mr.
Ogunlesi (https://www.goldmansachs.com/about-us/people-and-
leadership/leadership/board-of-directors/adebayo-o-ogunlesi.html). Finally,
we
would like to receive any and all records related to NY-DFS monitoring of
Goldman Sachs’ minority scholarship fund support in Africa (and how any non-
approved interlocking directorates may be engaged in AML violations).”
In your appeal, you state that “[s]pecific to scholarships in Africa,
Goldman Sachs has issued
advertisements as principal funder of Africa’s largest online University.
DFS having no records associated with ‘one of the world’s largest minority
scholarship programs. . .’ that is funded out of
New York would allude to willful negligence on behalf of New York’s
financial regulators.”
The Determination informed you that a search was conducted for records
relating to (1) Part 701
compliance for Messrs. Ogunlasi and Rose and (2) references to Goldman
Sachs’ minority
scholarship programs in Africa. It also informed you that your request for
“any and all records
related to New York State and NY-DFS approach to enforcement of ‘Permission
for Interlocking
Directors and Officers’ ” was vague and improper.
After conducting a de novo search of the Department’s files concerning the
above described (1)
and (2), I was unable to locate any records concerning these matters.
Therefore, I affirm the
Determination in its conclusion that there are no records regarding these
subjects in the
Department’s files.
Furthermore, with your respect to your request for “any and all records
related to New York State
and NY-DFS approach to enforcement of ‘Permission for Interlocking
Directors and Officers’ ” I
find that the request does not not reasonably describe the records sought
from the Department
because FOIL requires that a requestor must describe the records sought and
provide sufficient
detail so that the agency can identify and locate the records requested.
A FOIL request is not reasonably described if the agency cannot locate the
requested record using
its indexing or filing system, or, with respect to the agency’s electronic
records, there is no single
search term or combination of search terms that will result in the location
of the record. See Asian
American Legal Defense & Educ. Fund v. NYC Police Dep’t, 41 Misc.3d 471
(Sup. Ct. N.Y.
County 2013), aff’d 125 A.D.3d 531 (1st Dep’t 2015). Additionally, where an
agency must
manually review voluminous records simply to locate responsive records,
courts have held that
such a request does not reasonably describe the records sought. Badar v.
Bove, 273 A.D.2d Dep’t
2000), appeal den. 95 N.Y.2d 764 (2000) (finding that a request for “[a]ll
notes, records,
correspondence, meeting minutes and other records related to the adoption
and/or revision of the
Village Zoning Code’s prohibition of commercial activity” was not
reasonably described).
When a FOIL request requires an agency to make subjective judgments to
determine whether to
determine whether a record is responsive, that a request may be found to
have not reasonably
described the records. For instance, in the Committee on Open Government
(“Committee”)
Opinion No. FOIL-AO-11960 (February 17, 2000), the Committee opined that a
FOIL request that
sought records “tending to support” a particular statement, or “utilized”,
“used” or “relating to”
“various activities” was not reasonably described request for records under
Public Officers Law
Article 6. A response to such a request “would involve making subjective
judgments a series of
judgments based on opinions, some of which would be subjective, mental
impressions”, and
require “ascertaining which records might ‘tend to support’ a statement
[that] would involve an attempt to render a judgment regarding the use,
utility, accuracy or value of records.” The
Committee futher opined that “for purposes of [FOIL], a request for such
materials would not meet
the standard of ‘reasonably describing’the records sought, for such a
request would not enable the
Department to locate and identify the records in the manner envisioned by
that statute.” See also
Committee Opinion No. FOIL-AO-12012 (March 28, 2000), in which the Commttee
opined that
a request for “documentation utilized by SED to evaluate ‘certain needs,
actions and functions’
was not reasonably described request for records under FOIL.
Accordingly, I affirm the Department’s Determination.
Sincerely,
Christine M. Tomczak
Assistant Counsel
cc: NYS Committee on Open Government
One Commerce Plaza
99 Washington Avenue, Suite 650
Albany, NY 12231;l
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Tomczak, Christine (DFS) <christine.tomczak(a)dfs.ny.gov>
Date: Mon, Jan 30, 2023, 11:25 AM
Subject: FOIL request #2022-090440
To: Gunnar Larson <g(a)xny.io>
Cc: dos.sm.Coog.InetCoog <dosCOOG(a)dos.ny.gov>
Dear Mr. Larson,
See attached letter.
Christine M. Tomczak
Assistant Counsel
New York State Department of Financial Services
1 State Street, New York, New York 10004
1
0