Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud: The Basis for the Documentary Everyone Is Lying to You for Money
About this ebook
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
LONGLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR
“A smart, savvy road map through the mayhem of the cryptocurrency madness.” —RON CHERNOW, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Alexander Hamilton
From “one of the crypto industry’s unlikely but most prominent critics” (Washington Post), an entertaining and well-researched account of the rise and fall of cryptocurrency.
Weaving together stories of average traders and victims, colorful crypto “visionaries,” Hollywood’s biggest true believers, anti-crypto whistleblowers, and government operatives, Easy Money is an on-the-ground look at a perfect storm of irresponsibility and criminal fraud.
Based on original reporting across the country and abroad, including interviews with Sam Bankman-Fried, Tether cofounder Brock Pierce, Celsius’s Alex Mashinsky, and more, this honest look at cryptocurrency is more relevant than ever.
At the height of the pandemic, TV star Ben McKenzie was the perfect mark for cryptocurrency: a dad stuck at home with some cash in his pocket, worried about his family, armed with only the vague notion that people were making heaps of money on something he—despite a degree in economics—didn’t entirely understand.
Lured in by grandiose, utopian promises, and sure, a little bit of FOMO, McKenzie dove deep into blockchain, Bitcoin, and the various other coins and exchanges on which they are traded. But after scratching the surface, he had to ask, “Am I crazy, or is this all a total scam?” With journalist Jacob Silverman, McKenzie brings the entertaining but terrifying truth to readers with Easy Money.
The basis for the major 2026 documentary Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, Easy Money is the definitive, New York Times bestselling investigation into the SBF/FTX collapse and the global cryptocurrency scam.
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About the author
Ben McKenzie is an actor, a writer, and a leading investigative voice in the cryptocurrency skepticism movement. Best known for his starring roles in The O.C. and Gotham, McKenzie holds a degree in economics from the University of Virginia. He is the director and star of the documentary Everyone Is Lying to You for Money (distributed by The Forge), which serves as the cinematic companion to this book. McKenzie has testified before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on the collapse of FTX and continues to advocate for financial regulation and consumer protection in the digital asset space.
Jacob Silverman is an award-winning journalist specializing in the intersection of technology, finance, and power. His work appears regularly in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Guardian.
Together, Silverman and McKenzie authored the New York Times bestseller Easy Money.
