How a $30 Billion Crypto Empire Collapsed in 3 Days: The Untold Story of FTX's Downfall

The $30 Billion House of Cards
When I first analyzed FTX’s books post-collapse (or more accurately, the lack thereof), it felt like watching a magician reveal how all his tricks were simple frauds. Sam Bankman-Fried built what appeared to be the most sophisticated crypto exchange - until we realized its foundations were held together by spit and client funds.
The 72-Hour Unraveling
The collapse timeline reads like a Shakespearean tragedy compressed into a long weekend:
- Day 1: CoinDesk publishes Alameda Research’s suspicious balance sheet
- Day 2: Binance announces plans to sell FTT tokens, triggering panic
- Day 3: $6 billion in withdrawals force FTX to halt operations
What fascinates me as a quant isn’t the speed of the crash, but the mathematical inevitability. My models showed FTX needed at least \(1 in reserves for every \)3 in liabilities to survive normal volatility. They had less than $0.10.
The Effective Altruism Mask
SBF cultivated an image of monastic frugality while allegedly orchestrating one of history’s largest financial frauds. The MIT grad who slept on a beanbag somehow “forgot” about $8 billion in missing funds. As someone who audits blockchain transactions daily, I can tell you: that takes either astonishing incompetence or criminal intent.
The Aftermath: Lessons for Crypto
- Custody Matters: Exchanges aren’t banks (though many pretend otherwise)
- Transparency > Hype: Real projects survive bear markets
- Regulation Isn’t Evil: Basic safeguards could’ve prevented this
The silver lining? FTX accelerated crypto’s painful but necessary maturation. Just don’t expect me to store assets on any exchange that won’t show proof of reserves.
Want more uncomfortable truths about finance? Follow my analysis of the next crypto trainwreck-in-progress.
ZKProofGuru
Hot comment (8)

Mathematik des Zusammenbruchs
Als Quant kann ich nur sagen: FTX’s Bilanz war so solide wie ein Bierzelt ohne Bierfässer! Mein Modell sagt: Wenn du für jede Schuld nur 10 Cent hast, ist der Crash keine Überraschung – sondern eine mathematische Gewissheit.
Der Magier enttarnt
SBFs Trick? Aus Kundengeld ein Luftschloss bauen… bis CoinDesk die Zauberformel verriet. Peinlich, wenn deine ‘geniale’ Strategie auffliegt wie eine Bitcoin-Blase!
Moral von der Geschichte?
- Exchanges sind keine Sparbücher
- Transparenz schlägt Hype
- Regulierung ≠ Teufelswerk
Wer lässt jetzt noch Crypto auf fremden Servern? hust Proof-of-Reserves bitte! 😉
[GIF-Vorschlag: Domino-Steine mit Crypto-Logos die umfallen]

Từ ‘thiên tài’ đến ‘tội phạm’ chỉ trong 72h
SBF từng được coi là thần đồng crypto, ai ngờ chỉ sau một bài báo của CoinDesk, cả đế chế $30 tỷ sụp đổ như lâu đài cát! Đúng là ‘trèo cao té đau’ phiên bản tiền điện tử.
Toán học không biết nói dối
Phân tích của tôi cho thấy FTX cần \(1 dự trữ cho mỗi \)3 nợ. Nhưng họ chỉ có chưa đến $0.1! Ngay cả học sinh cấp 2 cũng tính ra điều này không ổn.
Bài học đắt giá 1️⃣ Tiền của bạn không an toàn trên sàn giao dịch 2⃣ Đừng tin vào những lời hứa hẹn hoành tráng 3⃣ Quy định không phải kẻ thù!
Các bạn nghĩ sao? Chúng ta sẽ chứng kiến vụ sụp đổ tiếp theo trong năm nay chứ?

La chute la plus rapide depuis Icare
Quand ton exchange préféré s’écroule plus vite que tes espoirs de devenir riche avec les NFTs… FTX nous aura offert un masterclass en “Comment tout perdre en un week-end” !
72h de folie pure
Jour 1 : On découvre que leur bilan comptable est une blague Jour 2 : Binance lance le mouvement de panique (merci CZ) Jour 3 : Adieux les économies !
Comme disait mon prof de finance : “Quand c’est trop beau pour être vrai… c’est probablement du SBF” 😂
Et vous, vous aviez mis combien dans ce beau château de cartes ?

FTX का पतन: एक मजेदार त्रासदी
जब FTX का $30 बिलियन का साम्राज्य सिर्फ 3 दिनों में ढह गया, तो यह एक बेहतरीन वित्तीय कॉमेडी बन गई। SBF ने जैसे ही अपने ‘बीनबैग पर सोने’ के नाटक को जारी रखा, उनका पूरा कार्ड हाउस धराशायी हो गया।
72 घंटे में सबकुछ खत्म
Day 1: CoinDesk ने अलामेदा की बैलेंस शीट दिखाई Day 2: Binance ने FTT बेचने की घोषणा कर दी Day 3: $6 बिलियन की निकासी ने FTX को ध्वस्त कर दिया
मेरे क्रिप्टो मॉडल्स भी हैरान थे - यह तो गणितीय रूप से असंभव था! लेकिन SBF ने कर दिखाया।
सबक
- एक्सचेंज बैंक नहीं होते (चाहे वे कुछ भी क्यों न दिखाएं)
- पारदर्शिता हमेशा हाइप से बेहतर होती है
- रेगुलेशन ‘खलनायक’ नहीं होता
अब कोई भी एक्सचेंज मुझे बिना प्रूफ-ऑफ-रिजर्व्स के अपने पास पैसे नहीं रखने देगा! आपका क्या ख्याल है? क्या क्रिप्टो इससे उबर पाएगा?

FTX की कहानी: जादूगर का पर्दाफाश
जब FTX के बहीखाते देखे, लगा जैसे कोई जादूगर अपने खोखले तरीके उजागर कर रहा हो! SBF ने बनाया था एक भव्य महल, पर नींव थी… ग्राहकों के पैसों की!
72 घंटे में तबाही
- दिन 1: CoinDesk ने Alameda Research का शक़ीना बैलेंस शीट दिखाया
- दिन 2: Binance ने FTT टोकन बेचने की घोषणा की, और हड़कंप मच गया
- दिन 3: $6 बिलियन की निकासी से FTX को ऑपरेशन रोकने पड़े
मज़ेदार बात ये है कि मेरे मॉडल्स ने पहले ही भविष्यवाणी कर दी थी - हर \(3 देनदारी पर \)1 रिज़र्व चाहिए था, और उनके पास थे सिर्फ $0.10!
सबक़ क्या है?
- अपना क्रिप्टो एक्सचेंजों पर न रखें (ये बैंक नहीं हैं!)
- पारदर्शिता > प्रचार
- रेगुलेशन भी कभी-कभी अच्छा होता है
अब तो बस यही कहना है - ‘Proof of Reserves’ दिखाए बिना किसी एक्सचेंज पर भरोसा मत करना! आपका क्या ख़याल है? कमेंट में बताइए!

数字で見る「粉飾決算」の美学
FTXの残高不足問題を分析したら、期末テスト前に答案用紙を犬に食べさせた中学生の言い訳レベルの創造性を発見。1ドルの準備金で3ドルの負債をカバーする必要があるのに、実際は0.1ドル…これはもはや会計ではなく現代アートですわ。
禅的経営の極意
MIT卒業生が8億ドルを「忘れた」と主張する様は、まさに「色即是空」の境地。私が監査したブロックチェーン取引では、これほど壮大な無能さか、あるいは計算尽くされた犯罪しか説明がつきません。
皆さんはこの事件をどう分析しますか?コメントで「ガバガバ会計あるある」教えてください!

The Quant’s Verdict
Crunching FTX’s numbers post-collapse felt like auditing a magic show where the rabbit was actually the magician’s lunch money. That 72-hour death spiral? My Python models called it - when your “reserves” are thinner than SBF’s moral compass, gravity wins.
Effective Altruism or Comedy Special?
The MIT beanbag philosopher who “misplaced” billions proves crypto’s golden rule: if the math smells worse than week-old ramen, run. At least we got three eternal truths:
- Exchanges ≠ piggy banks (shocking!)
- Transparency beats Twitter threads
- Even libertarians miss regulators sometimes
[Cue laugh track] Now watching Celsius for Part 2 of As The Stablecoin Burns. Place your bets!

30 миллиардов — и нет их!
Когда анализируешь крах FTX, кажется, что это сценарий для плохого фильма: миллиарды исчезают, а основатель спит на мешке с фасолью. Как говорится, «гениальная простота» мошенничества!
72 часа хаоса
День 1: CoinDesk публикует подозрительный баланс. День 2: Binance начинает продавать FTT. День 3: FTX закрывает двери. Быстрее, чем мой кошелёк опустел после зарплаты!
Урок для всех
Теперь я точно знаю: криптобиржи — это не банки (спасибо, кэп!). А прозрачность важнее красивых слов. Кто следующий на очереди?
Как думаете, какой проект рухнет следующим? Пишите в комментарии!
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