Eriq Gardner • December 26, 2022

Will S.B.F. Make a Deal?

Bar heavies and white shoe litigators weigh in with their most provocative legal predictions for 2023: on the future of Hollywood M&A, Murdoch’s defamation headache, Trump’s obstruction jeopardy, and more.

Theodore Schleifer • December 22, 2022

The S.B.F. Campaign Finance Whodunnit, Part 2

Further news and notes on the Sean McElwee-S.B.F. saga, and the campaign-finance scandal of the moment.

Baratunde Thurston • December 22, 2022

Have We Reached Peak Elon?

Holiday predictions from across Silicon Valley, on the passing of Twitter, a new low for web3, Meta vs. Apple, and the true dawn of A.I.

Theodore Schleifer • December 20, 2022

Romney Regrets & The Media’s ‘Succession’ Problem

A blunt retrospective with Peter Hamby about partisan myopia, Twitter echo chambers, and the most underrated political narratives heading into 2024.

Eriq Gardner • December 19, 2022

Elon’s Legal Road to Perdition

The explosion of litigation stemming from Musk’s rampage at Twitter—mass firings, gag orders, jilted shareholders and vendors—threatens to expedite the company’s astounding downfall into the hands of its creditors. Too bad he’s fired so many lawyers.

Theodore Schleifer • December 15, 2022

Thiel’s Red Scare

Thiel’s first public comments since his midterm shellacking were a searing indictment of the G.O.P.—and a three-point playbook for 2024.

Theodore Schleifer • December 14, 2022

An S.B.F. Campaign Finance Whodunnit

Inside the Bankman-Fried indictment is a tantalizing footnote to its most explosive allegations: a massive money-in-politics scandal. Here’s how to decode the various theories making the rounds over the last 24 hours—what’s real, what’s bullshit, and what we still don’t know.

Theodore Schleifer • December 13, 2022

Keeping Up with the Bankman-Frieds

At the core of the S.B.F. dilemma is the brainy academic milieu in which he came of age: a place where effective altruism was discussed at the dinner table, shape-shifting was au naturel, and the pursuit of an ethical life undergirded it all.

Eriq Gardner • December 12, 2022

Lina Khan’s Long-Game Microsoft Deal Killer

Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision deal may be defensible from an antitrust perspective. But Biden’s F.T.C. has an overwhelming advantage: time.

Baratunde Thurston • December 12, 2022

Is the Next Tina Fey a Bot?

The rise of ChatGPT suggests how artificial intelligence is coming for the arts.

Theodore Schleifer • December 6, 2022

The Confessions of S.B.F.

An occasionally chilling conversation with Sam Bankman-Fried about accountability, naivety, family, prison, politics, and the strategy embedded in his walk of shame.

Theodore Schleifer & Eriq Gardner • December 5, 2022

The S.B.F. Legal Meteor

Puck’s Teddy Schleifer and Eriq Gardner discuss the litigation minefield, financial casualties, and political backlash after the FTX supernova: Who’s getting sued? How will Washington crack down? Can crypto investors recover? And will Sam Bankman-Fried go to jail?

Theodore Schleifer • December 2, 2022

S.B.F.’s McConnell Money Tickle

In his previous life as crypto boy king, S.B.F. was fetishized as a modern Soros. But he cared about power and relevance, which is why, yes, he gave some dark-money to Republicans, too.

Theodore Schleifer • November 30, 2022

Thiel’s Midterm Hangover & More Hakeemology

News on Thiel’s Arizona “blackpilling” and Hakeem Jeffries’ first great Democracy Alliance donor gauntlet.

Theodore Schleifer • November 29, 2022

An S.B.F. Ally in the Barrel

Sean McElwee, the ur-connected political operative, is the latest to get singed by the FTX scandal following a no-confidence vote at Data for Progress. His exit speaks volumes, not only about Sam Bankman-Fried, but about the power of social media contagion.