Is Crypto Dead? Or More Influential Than Ever?
Subscribe here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube The hype over cryptocurrency may have faded since the fall of Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX, but beneath the surface, a lot of real money is involved, including the millions being funneled into the American political system.
The actor turned documentarian Ben McKenzie joins Galaxy Brain host Charlie Warzel to talk about the current state of cryptocurrency, why he became interested in investigating it, and how the crypto craze influenced some people’s enthusiasm, or lack thereof, about AI.
The following is a transcript of the episode: Charlie Warzel: The big joke always about crypto or bitcoin is that it is a technology in search of an actual use case, right? And my question is: Is this the first truly useful application for cryptocurrencies, which is political power? Ben McKenzie: It’s not the first.
I mean, the first was buying drugs online.
Warzel: Fair. [ Music ] Warzel: I’m Charlie Warzel, and this is Galaxy Brain , a show where today we’re going to call up a TV star and ask him the following question: Is crypto dead? Dying? Dormant? Or is it thriving in 2026? Now, thankfully, we’ve chosen the right TV star for this very specific job.
If you were alive and conscious in the early 2000s, you’ve likely encountered Ben McKenzie on a television screen, on an online recap, or a magazine cover.
He played the heartthrob Ryan Atwood on The O.C. , and he’s parlayed that into a career on other shows like Southland and Gotham .
But then, during COVID, something weird happened, and McKenzie became obsessed with cryptocurrency.
Now, unlike other celebrities who spent the pandemic shilling it, McKenzie started investigating it.
He wrote a best-selling book with the reporter Jacob Silverman, and then he made a documentary.
It’s called Everyone Is Lying to You for Money .
Recently I met McKenzie at The Atlantic Festival, and I wanted to talk to him and bring him on to speak about his work.
Because it is a very strange moment for crypto.
After the fall of FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried around 2022, it feels like we’ve heard less about the technology.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.theatlantic.com — the content belongs to The Atlantic.
