Disgraced FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried bizarrely presented his former on-and-off again girlfriend Caroline Ellison a list of pros and cons to dating him – warning “I don’t feel happiness,” according to a new book.
The list of negatives apparently outweighed the positives in the 2018 memo sent to his now ex-lover Ellison, who at the time was serving as CEO for another one of Bankman-Fried’s companies, Alameda Research, “The Big Short” author Michael Lewis wrote in a new book about the accused fraudster, according to reports.
Bankman-Fried’s trial started this week in Manhattan federal court as the 31-year-old former crypto whiz kid is facing a slew of federal charges over allegations he embezzled funds from customers at FTX to plug losses at Alameda.
Before he had to worry about potentially spending more than 100 years in prison, Bankman-Fried was mulling over whether to continue his relationship with Ellison.
The list, published in the book, spelled out how he has trouble respecting other people and often enjoys being alone, Business Insider reported.
“In a lot of ways I don’t really have a soul,” he wrote point blank, according to the memo reportedly obtained by Lewis.
“There’s a pretty decent argument that my empathy is fake, my feelings are fake, my facial reactions are fake. I don’t feel happiness. What’s the point in dating someone who you physically can’t make happy?” he also pondered.
He was also torn about his intense focus on work and spending time with Ellison.
Other drawbacks included his uneasiness about the power dynamics in their relationship and the negative publicity if their dating came to light, the New York Times reported.
As for the pros, Bankman-Fried brazenly listed, “I really like f—king you” twice, Insider reported. He also reportedly said they had shared interests and he enjoyed talking with her.
He complimented her as a smart, impressive and good person, the Times reported.
The memo came after Ellison sent Bankman-Fried a four-page message admitting that her feelings for him “consume a ton of my brainspace” while also pointing out concerns she had over how their relationship could affect their jobs, Insider reported.
She also believed he was sending out mixed signals.
“Telling me that he felt conflicted about having sex with me, then having sex with me, then ignoring me for a few months,” the book claims she wrote.
But the pros and cons did not deter Ellison, and she kept pursuing a relationship with Bankman-Fried, Lewis reportedly wrote.
Ellison pleaded guilty to fraud charges late last year.
She could be the star witness during her ex-lover’s high profile trial, one former senior counsel at the US Securities and Exchange Commission told The Post this week.
More than $8 billion of customers’ crypto assets disappeared when FTX imploded, federal officials have said.
Lewis’ new book “Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon” hit bookstores Tuesday.
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