Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New TycoonGoing Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon
What it's about
Michael Lewis spent months with Sam Bankman-Fried, the young crypto billionaire who founded the exchange FTX and talked about giving his fortune away to do the most good. Then, in November 2022, FTX collapsed, billions of customers' dollars vanished, and Bankman-Fried was arrested. Lewis tells the story of his strange mind and his rise and fall.
Why it's worth reading
It hit #1 on the New York Times list and was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's a portrait of one of the century's biggest financial scandals from the inside.
You'll love it if you liked
Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street
Too Big to Fail
Elon MuskGood to know
Critics felt Lewis was too sympathetic to Bankman-Fried, who was later convicted of fraud.
By the numbers
- Readers14 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller53 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #79 of the 85 self-help and business books we rank
- #268 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #416 of the 481 new books we rank
- #2443 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Thought-provoking
More by Michael Lewis
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
Moneyball
Flash Boys
The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our MindsIf you like this, read next
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
The Ride of a Lifetime
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy
The Anxious GenerationExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Self-help and business booksTop 25 · 85 ranked
New booksTop 25 · 481 rankedBooks of the 2020sTop 25 · 555 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedQuick answers
Is Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon worth reading?
Yes. It hit #1 on the New York Times list and was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It ranks #2,443 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 59.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon about?
Michael Lewis spent months with Sam Bankman-Fried, the young crypto billionaire who founded the exchange FTX and talked about giving his fortune away to do the most good. Then, in November 2022, FTX collapsed, billions of customers' dollars vanished, and Bankman-Fried was arrested. Lewis tells the story of his strange mind and his rise and fall.
How long does it take to read Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon?
About 7 hours (261 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon?
If you liked it, try Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street by Michael Lewis, Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin or Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson.