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Crypto Critics' Corner

Crypto Critics' Corner

By Cas Piancey and Bennett Tomlin

Bennett and Cas discuss historical moments in the cryptocurrency and finance industries, focusing on frauds, hacks, exit scams, and other malfeasance.
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Shillfluencers (and the unspoken financial epidemic)

Crypto Critics' CornerJun 14, 2021

00:00
16:15
YUM YUM MONEY TIME: Deltec Bank moved customer funds from FTX to Alameda Research
Mar 16, 202426:19
Binanace and Changpeng Zhao Indicted: End of an Era
Feb 26, 202429:31
Read, Write, Owned: Broken Web3 Promises (Feat. Molly White)

Read, Write, Owned: Broken Web3 Promises (Feat. Molly White)

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Molly White to discuss Andreessen Horowitz GP Chris Dixon's new book: Read, Write, Own.


Read Molly's review of Dixon's book here and check out her archival cryptocurrency news site here.


Read Protos' article about how a16z gamed the NYT Bestseller List here.


Read Motherboard's article about how many copies of Read, Write, Own were bulk purchased here.


This episode was recorded on February 10th, 2024.

Feb 21, 202459:38
Tether: The $100,000,000,000 Problem in Crypto

Tether: The $100,000,000,000 Problem in Crypto

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the history and present of Tether, the most important firm in all of cryptocurrency.


This video was recorded on February 4th, 2024.

Feb 08, 202442:40
Why Crypto Will Never Fix Payments (Feat. Patrick McKenzie)
Nov 15, 202301:13:32
Sam Bankman-Fried Sent Himself to Prison (Feat. Elizabeth Lopatto)
Nov 10, 202345:03
Wyre: Another crypto payment processor involved in fraud
Nov 07, 202316:42
Sam Bankman-Fried's Trial is Going Great (feat. Molly White)
Nov 03, 202348:59
It's so over: Sam Bankman-Fried testifies (feat. Sam Kessler)
Oct 30, 202342:56
Tweets, Trolls, and Superstars in the Sam Bankman-Fried Trial (Feat. Katie Baker)
Oct 26, 202349:36
Sam Bankman-Fried asked FTX's lawyer to explain away stolen funds (feat. Danny Nelson)
Oct 23, 202329:13
Moonstone Bank: FTX, Deltec, and the Mission to Move Millions
Oct 20, 202324:06
Caroline Ellison Takes the Stand: the Sam Bankman-Fried Trial Week 2 (Feat. Nikhilesh De)
Oct 17, 202339:15
Can crypto companies get bank accounts?
Oct 13, 202320:44
Did Sam Bankman-Fried's Defense Blow It? (Feat. David Z. Morris)
Oct 09, 202338:29
Are NFTs securities?

Are NFTs securities?

Today Bennett and Cas discuss the SEC's settlement with the creators of an NFT called Stoner Cats and whether or not it means any NFTs offering royalties to creators could be considered securities.

Oct 04, 202312:30
Elon Musk's ESG Con (Feat. Eric Roesch)

Elon Musk's ESG Con (Feat. Eric Roesch)

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by Eric Roesch to discuss Elon Musk, ESG (environmental, social, governance), and the Golden Age of Fraud.

Roesch, an environmental policy expert, tells us about the history of ESG, why it doesn't effectively combat the issues it claims to, and how Elon Musk - the wealthiest man in the world - has used ESG, government subsidies, and asking for forgiveness instead of permission to hoodwink the American public.


This episode was recorded September 20th, 2023.

Sep 29, 202351:15
Were SBF's parents in on it? Follow the Money
Sep 22, 202324:36
Circle is losing the stablecoin war to Tether (Feat. Leo Schwartz)
Sep 20, 202351:16
SBF Deserves Human Rights
Sep 15, 202322:21
Let's Talk About Number Go Up with Zeke Faux

Let's Talk About Number Go Up with Zeke Faux

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by special guest Zeke Faux, journalist and author of the new book Number Go Up.


Faux was able to gain access to SBF (Sam Bankman-Fried), Deltec executives, and the head of Tether while writing his book, which explores how cryptocurrency is being used for nefarious - and not so nefarious - reasons in the real world.


If you'd like to purchase Zeke's book, please visit https://a.co/d/3mqDKBO (this is a non-affiliate link to the Amazon page for his book).


Sep 12, 202301:06:56
All-In? We're Out: Why the All-In Podcast is Bad for America

All-In? We're Out: Why the All-In Podcast is Bad for America

Today Bennett and Cas discuss one of the most popular financial podcasts in the world, the All-In podcast, and why it's bad for America.


All-In features Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya, and David Friedberg, mostly talking their books, but lately the hosts have been berating critics and claiming being venture capitalists make them men "in the arena."


This episode was recorded on August 25th and 28th.

Sep 08, 202355:15
How to Steal Almost $100 Million: Prime Trust goes Bust

How to Steal Almost $100 Million: Prime Trust goes Bust

Today Bennett and Cas discuss Prime Trust (again) after the Nevada-based trust company admitted that previous C-suite executives had made numerous mistakes and mishandled over $80 million in cash and cryptocurrencies.

Aug 29, 202322:57
Effective Altruism: Morally Buy An Island Nation

Effective Altruism: Morally Buy An Island Nation

Bennett and Cas discuss the philosophy of Effective Altruism, how it influenced Sam Bankman-Fried, and how it contributed to the collapse of FTX and Alameda Research. This episode was recorded on July 27th, 2023.

Aug 16, 202326:49
All Hail The Orb: Worldcoin

All Hail The Orb: Worldcoin

Bennett and Cas discuss Sam Altman and his new project, Worldcoin, which promises to provide 'proof of humanity' if you let them scan your eyeball.


This episode was recorded on Thursday July 27th, 2023.

Aug 02, 202318:47
Justin Sun and TrueUSD... Again

Justin Sun and TrueUSD... Again

Today Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are discussing the weird shenanigans ongoing with the stablecoin TrueUSD (TUSD) and the numerous platforms and exchanges that Justin Sun has purchased over the years.


This episode was recorded on Wednesday, July 26th, 2023.

Jul 28, 202334:56
Prime Trust, TrueUSD, and Offshore Finance (Feat. Jonathan Reiter and Patrick Tan)

Prime Trust, TrueUSD, and Offshore Finance (Feat. Jonathan Reiter and Patrick Tan)

Today Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Jonathan Reiter and Patrick Tan of ChainArgos to discuss Prime Trust, TrueUSD, stablecoins, and offshore finance.


This episode was recorded on Tuesday, June 27th, 2023

Jul 01, 202301:10:27
How to attack Bitcoin (Feat. Micah Warren)

How to attack Bitcoin (Feat. Micah Warren)

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Dr. Micah Warren, a professor of mathematics, to discuss the game theory of Bitcoin and what it means for the security of Bitcoin.


This episode was recorded on June 8th, 2023.

Jun 16, 202353:21
Bennett and Cas at Consensus 2023: How to Spot a Scam

Bennett and Cas at Consensus 2023: How to Spot a Scam

Today we present the panel that we were featured on at Consensus, entitled "How to Spot a Scam."


The panel was hosted by David Z. Morris of CoinDesk and features former Terraform Labs employee Hyungsuk Kang.


Jun 12, 202323:09
Binance, Coinbase, and the SEC (Featuring Mike Burgersburg of Dirty Bubble Media)

Binance, Coinbase, and the SEC (Featuring Mike Burgersburg of Dirty Bubble Media)

Today Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined - yet again! - by Mike Burgersburg of Dirty Bubble Media to discuss the recent lawsuits brought against Binance and Coinbase by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Jun 09, 202347:37
 Crypto Critics Cope at Consensus Conference

Crypto Critics Cope at Consensus Conference

Cas Piancey and Bennett Tomlin discuss their takeaways from Consensus 2023, the recent cryptocurrency conference put on by CoinDesk. This video was recorded on April 30th, 2023.

May 04, 202301:01:35
The FDIC, Infinite Insurance, and Moral Hazards (Feat. Rohan Grey)

The FDIC, Infinite Insurance, and Moral Hazards (Feat. Rohan Grey)

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by Rohan Grey to discuss how the government could provide unlimited deposit insurance against banks collapsing.


This episode was recorded on March 15th, 2023.

Apr 12, 202301:07:05
The Whistleblower Who Exposed WorldCom (feat. Cynthia Cooper & Daren Firestone)
Apr 07, 202301:41:03
Binance in Trouble (streamed live on March 27th, 2023)
Apr 04, 202338:03
SEC sues Justin Sun, Coinbase, Celebrities; also Do Kwon arrested (recorded on March 23rd)

SEC sues Justin Sun, Coinbase, Celebrities; also Do Kwon arrested (recorded on March 23rd)

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the lawsuit filed against Justin Sun alleging that Tron and BitTorrent token were illegal securities and that he engaged in market manipulation. We also discuss the celebrities implicated in the promotion of these tokens including:

- Logan Paul - Lindsay Lohan - Lil Yachty - Ne-Yo - Akon - Soulja Boy - Austin Mahone - Kendra Lust

This episode was recorded on March 23rd, 2023

Apr 03, 202347:49
Toilet Apes and other NFT Exploitation (Feat. Ed Zitron)

Toilet Apes and other NFT Exploitation (Feat. Ed Zitron)

Bennett Tomlin  and Cas Piancey are joined by Ed Zitron to discuss NFTs and why they became popular and why they are so empty.

This episode was recorded on February 1st, 2022.

Mar 16, 202347:25
Silvergategate: The Collapse of Silvergate and the Future of Cryptocurrency Banking

Silvergategate: The Collapse of Silvergate and the Future of Cryptocurrency Banking

Bennett and Cas go live to discuss the collapse of Silvergate, the bank of choice for cryptocurrency companies and exchanges in the US.


Recorded on Wednesday, March 8th, 2023.

Mar 09, 202328:36
Tether Falsified Bank Records
Mar 04, 202317:15
Satire in Cryptocurrency: West Ham (feat. Josh Cincinnati and Laurence [Insert Last Name Here])

Satire in Cryptocurrency: West Ham (feat. Josh Cincinnati and Laurence [Insert Last Name Here])

Cas Piancey and Bennett Tomlin are joined by Laurence and Josh Cincinnati to dis1cuss the value of satire in cryptocurrency, ordinals, Justin Sun and more.


This was recorded on January 30th, 2023.

Mar 01, 202301:23:46
The El Salvador Volcano Token (feat. Domingo Flores)
Feb 06, 202352:39
Harmony Horizon Exploit, Lazarus Group, and Cryptocurrency Bridges
Jan 29, 202339:45
Nexo Raided, SBF Lies, and Genesis and Gemini Charged
Jan 17, 202330:02
Cryptocurrency Banks Give Up
Jan 17, 202325:12
Did Satoshi run a drug cartel? The Paul Le Roux Story (Feat. Evan Ratliff)
Jan 02, 202356:15
Auditors, Binance, and Global Regulation

Auditors, Binance, and Global Regulation

Today Bennett and Cas are recording an IN-PERSON(!!!) episode of CCC together!

We discuss auditors exiting the cryptocurrency industry en masse, what's next for Binance, and how regulators will or won't take on the new global financial industries.

Recorded on Tuesday, December 21, 2022.

Dec 21, 202247:27
The Skeptic's Guide to Skepticism

The Skeptic's Guide to Skepticism

Today Bennett and Cas discuss walking the fine line between beneficial and frank skepticism and full-blown conspiracy theorist, and how sometimes the line can get a little blurry.


This episode was recorded on November 4th, before everything spiraled into an utter sh*tshow.

Nov 21, 202235:15
FTX and Alameda are dead, long live cryptocurrency

FTX and Alameda are dead, long live cryptocurrency

Today Bennett and Cas are talking about the collapse of FTX, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, and its sister trading firm, Alameda Research.

Nov 09, 202238:38
Shadow Banking 2.0 in Web3 and DeFi (Feat. Hilary Allen)
Oct 27, 202237:41
Binance Smart Chain is Dumb and Mango Markets, Too
Oct 19, 202230:19
High Noon at Ooki Corral: CFTC Sues DAO Participants

High Noon at Ooki Corral: CFTC Sues DAO Participants

Today Bennett and Cas talk about what's going on with the Ooki DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), why the CFTC is suing them, and why it's okay that Ooki DAO is not okay.

This episode was recorded on Tuesday, September 27th, 2022 and edited by Bennett Tomlin.

Oct 07, 202229:31