Netflix has released the first trailer for The Altruists, an eight-part drama about Sam Bankman-Fried and the collapse of his cryptocurrency empire, FTX. The series examines how a multibillion-dollar fraud case affected the trading platform, investors and senior executives. It is scheduled to premiere on November 19.
Anthony Boyle and Julia Garner Play FTX’s Central Figures
Anthony Boyle plays Bankman-Fried, while Julia Garner portrays Caroline Ellison, a former cryptocurrency executive and Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend. Their relationship, along with their roles within the FTX and Alameda Research network, is a central thread in the series’ reconstruction of the events.
Graham Moore serves as the creator and showrunner of The Altruists. He said that over the years covered by the story, Sam and Caroline “convinced each other, and convinced themselves, to commit a series of serious crimes with the best of intentions.” The comment indicates that the drama will link personal relationships, corporate decisions and the criminal cases that followed, rather than simply recounting FTX’s collapse.
FTX’s Collapse and the Criminal Case
FTX was once one of the world’s best-known cryptocurrency exchanges. After the platform and its affiliated companies entered crisis and filed for bankruptcy in 2022, questions about customer funds, corporate governance and risk management came under intense scrutiny. The case centered not on a single bout of market volatility, but on allegations involving customer assets, related-party transactions and the way the companies were operated.
Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2024. A jury found him guilty on all seven fraud and conspiracy counts brought against him. He remains held at a low-security federal prison in California. Federal prison records indicate that he is expected to be released at Christmas in 2043.
Ellison Returns to the Funding Platform Manifund
Ellison previously pleaded guilty to crimes related to her conspiracy with Bankman-Fried and served about 11 months in prison. She recently joined Manifund, a digital platform that provides funding. Her path from a senior figure at the center of FTX’s management to a key figure in the criminal case and, later, back into the workforce has kept her connected to the wider story of the crypto industry’s most closely watched failures.
Netflix released the trailer more than a month before the series premiere. For crypto markets, the FTX case continues to raise questions about the custody of customer assets, transactions between affiliated companies and executive accountability. How the series handles the underlying facts, personal relationships and judicial findings will become clearer when all episodes are released on November 19.