LEADERSHIP
Fast Company|Summer 2023
He Told You So Ben McKenzie sensed early that crypto was largely an act. With a new book, he's pulling the curtain back completely.
TALIB VISRAM
LEADERSHIP

IN THE EARLY 2000S, HE GRACED THE WALLS OF TEENAGE BEDROOMS ACROSS the country. More recently, he's been on the floor of the Senate, testifying about the fraudulent nature of cryptocurrency. Actor, advocate, and author Ben McKenzie isn't sure how to define himself. He's even talked to his therapist about it.

At a café near his office in Brooklyn Heights one April morning, the Texas native, 44, says that his younger self would never have believed he'd become the heartthrob Ryan Atwood from The O.C. or Detective Jim Gordon, the future commissioner, on Gotham. Even more unimaginable would have been the fact that he has just written a book, Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud, which comes out July 18.

Struck by boredom and FOMO during the pandemic, McKenzie noticed that more and more ordinary people were getting rich quickly from crypto investing. He was tempted to try to join them-until a dear friend with historically bad investment advice endorsed the idea. That took him down the crypto rabbit hole, where he used his economics degree from the University of Virginia to make sense of it.

But nothing made sense. One night while burrowing particularly deep, his "THC-inspired brain," as he calls it, told him to write a book about the intersection of crypto, fraud, and gambling. He persuaded a journalist friend, Jacob Silverman, to draft it with him. As they conducted their research, the odd couple began co-authoring articles for The New Republic and Slate, drawing attention to the crypto grift, and calling out fellow celebrities for "crypto shilling." Through Twitter DMs and his Hollywood privilege, McKenzie scored visits to crypto conventions, a Bitcoin mining center, and El Salvador, along the way meeting scam victims, possibly fake CIA agents-and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of Fast Company.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of Fast Company.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM FAST COMPANYView All
THE NEW RULES OF BUSINESS TRAVEL
Fast Company

THE NEW RULES OF BUSINESS TRAVEL

In the era of hybrid teams, everyone is a road warrior-not just sales teams and C-suite execs. It's part of why business travel spending is expected to finally reach, and perhaps surpass, pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year, according to Deloitte. But, as with everything, work trips are not what they were in 2019. From airlines to banks, companies are finding new ways to make business travel easier-and even a little fun.

time-read
5 mins  |
Fall 2024
INTELLIGENT IMPACT
Fast Company

INTELLIGENT IMPACT

BUSINESS LUMINARIES SHARE HOW AI CAN INTERSECT WITH SOCIAL MISSION.

time-read
1 min  |
Fall 2024
REDDIT'S REVENGE
Fast Company

REDDIT'S REVENGE

IN AN ERA OF AI UPHEAVAL. THE CACOPHONOUS SOCIAL HUB EMERGES AS THE HUMAN-DRIVEN INTERNET'S LAST GREAT HOPE.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Fall 2024
SO MANY WAYS TO LOSE
Fast Company

SO MANY WAYS TO LOSE

In the Ozempic era, Weight-Watchers is remaking itself to be something for everyone meal-plan program and a tele-health prescription service. But have consumers already lost their appetite?

time-read
10+ mins  |
Fall 2024
10/10 - THE 10 MOST INNOVATIVE PEOPLE OF THE LAST 10 YEARS
Fast Company

10/10 - THE 10 MOST INNOVATIVE PEOPLE OF THE LAST 10 YEARS

In honor of Fast Company's 10th Innovation Festival in September, we identified 10 industrious leaders whose groundbreaking efforts defined the past decade in business. We spoke to them about their extraordinary achievements in tech, medicine, entertainment, and more. And we explored how the impact of their work has withstood passing fads, various presidential administrations, a pandemic, and many, many quarterly reports.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Fall 2024
The Mysterious Reappearance of the Reggie Bar
Fast Company

The Mysterious Reappearance of the Reggie Bar

How a beloved 1970s candy got called back up to the major leagues.

time-read
8 mins  |
Fall 2024
Gabriella Khalil
Fast Company

Gabriella Khalil

Gabriella Khalil, creative director, answers our career questionnaire.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall 2024
The Fast and the Furious
Fast Company

The Fast and the Furious

High prices at McDonald's, Taco Bell, and other chains are sparking consumer revolt.

time-read
6 mins  |
Fall 2024
Lost in Truncation
Fast Company

Lost in Truncation

Lost in Truncation Generative AI was supposed to unleash our creativity. Instead, it became our cultural trash compactor. Welcome to the age of summarization.

time-read
4 mins  |
Fall 2024
Campus Radicals
Fast Company

Campus Radicals

Welcome to UATX, Austin's new well-funded and controversial anti-woke university.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Summer 2024