Starbursts, smuggled coffee and Martin Shkreli: How CNBC reported the Sam Bankman-Fried trial
Sam Bankman-Fried stands as forewoman reads the verdict to the court.
Artist: Elizabeth Williams
Just before 8 p.m. on Thursday, 12 jurors found Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of all seven counts against him. You could have heard a pin drop in the courtroom as the forewoman repeated the word “guilty” seven times in a row into a handheld microphone.
Bankman-Fried stood facing the jury box, neither flinching nor betraying any sort of emotion. In less than three hours of deliberation, jurors had swiftly come to the conclusion that Bankman-Fried had defrauded FTX customers, as well as lenders to its sister hedge fund, Alameda Research.
Bankman-Fried’s criminal trial was held in room 26b on the top floor of 500 Pearl Street, one of two federal courthouses of the Southern District of New York. The building fast became the de facto headquarters for many journalists over the last five weeks.
The courthouse had a few hard-and-fast rules, and a number of looser guidelines depending on who was on duty.
The big non-negotiable was no electronics in the courthouse. There were certain workarounds, like having a seat in the media room, which required your publication to have covered around half a dozen SDNY cases. There, you have access to electricity and internet, an absolute game changer when every second counts. (CNBC put out a note requesting access ahead of the trial — an email which was ultimately ignored.)
The second workaround involved borrowing the resources of CNBC’s capable and kind television photographers. Stashing a backpack with electronics in a car parked on Pearl Street made it possible to sprint from the courtroom to the car, then to a nearby park bench, where this CNBC writer could type and dispatch notes to editors in San Francisco. A 65-watt power bank compatible with a USB-C laptop charging cord proved essential to the operation.
As the days grew colder, it was essential to have a seat in a car to keep your fingers warm. Every exit to file a report included another breakneck trip through security, in a sort of run, rinse, repeat cycle — security, courtroom, exit, photographer’s car to file, back up through security, over and over again. Running shoes were part of the daily uniform.
If you had neither a seat in the media room nor a trusted colleague with whom to stash your electronics, the alternative was opting into the court’s coat check system, which looks like a scene from a Vegas casino. Depending upon the number of electronics you have, you get a different colored poker chip.
For CNBC, the chip was always black, and this writer was able to sprint past the coat check and get up to the courtroom faster than people who had to check their belongings. It also made for a swifter exit not having to wait in line to retrieve checked items.
No electronics inside the courthouse meant relying on a steady stash of notebooks, pens, and highlighters. A non-smart watch was another must-have, as were easily hidden snacks like Starbursts and mini chocolate chip Clif bars.
And perhaps second in importance only to pen and paper was an opaque water bottle that could hold coffee — tantamount to illicit contraband in the courthouse. (Rumor had it that a spilled coffee resulted in a $100,000 expense to replace the portion of carpet affected by the mishap.)
Another essential hack was keeping all supplies in a clear Auburn University totebag, an accessory that garnered a lot of attention from one security guard who was a Georgia fan. The bag’s transparency expedited the process of getting through security in a game where every second made a difference.
A cafe on the 8th floor offered the cheapest quality lunch you can find in downtown Manhattan, including discounted prices on candy like M&Ms and Starbursts.
In the courtroom, only 21 seats were reserved for the public, including journalists. Some days, it was easier to land a spot than others. On the eve of Bankman-Fried’s second day of testimony before the jury, for example, the line began at 10 p.m. the night before, and the 21st seat was taken by around 3 a.m. the following morning.
CNBC correspondent MacKenzie Sigalos reporting on the Sam Bankman-Fried trial from outside the SDNY courthouse at 500 Pearl Street in downtown Manhattan.
Dan Mangan
Over time, some long-haul reporters grew to prefer the overflow courtrooms on the 23rd and 24th floors. In overflow, events from the proceedings were live streamed on a series of monitors, and unlike the room where it was all going down, you had a bit more freedom to sometimes eat and drink whatever you wanted, to (reportedly) vape and take side bets on government objection tallies, and critically, to laugh out loud when testimony seemed especially evasive or outrageous.
Overflow contained a veritable who’s who of journalists, actors, bestselling authors, and white-collar criminals.
During the first week of the trial, Martin Shkreli, the so-called “Pharma bro,” who was sent to federal prison for hiking the price of a life-saving drug by around 5,000% overnight, showed up to watch.
Across the multiple days of Bankman-Fried’s testimony, CNBC correspondent Andrew Ross-Sorkin popped into overflow after he wrapped his morning show, as did the defendant’s recent biographer, Michael Lewis, who always had on a pair of HOKA sneakers — off-white from wear, with neon-peach colored laces and bright yellow soles.
Lewis would often slip in at the last minute, queueing in the security line around 9:26 a.m. one morning, allowing just a few minutes before the trial was due to resume. Intentionally arriving late is a pro move. If you aren’t going to be one of the first 21 people to arrive, the goal is to cut it as close as possible to the start of court. Staying with your electronics allowed you to optimize for time writing while concurrently skipping the long wait in line. One journalist compared the just-in-time strategy to an Indiana Jones-style entrance.
Lewis, whose book about Bankman-Fried and his inner circle was released on the first day of trial, was often swarmed in the elevator and on breaks from testimony by other writers keen for a moment with the author.
Then there was Ben McKenzie, an actor who first rose to stardom with his leading role on the long-running show, The O.C. McKenzie, who has had a lengthy acting career since, recently ventured into the world of crypto reporting with a book he co-wrote, “Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud.”
Attorneys and interested civilians also filled the pews of overflow.
This motley crew of characters became close over the course of five weeks. Cut off from electronics and connections to the outside world, an inevitable bond of camaraderie formed. These were the people who helped you fill a missing name or finish a quote when you had 20 seconds in the elevator before sprinting out to grab your laptop.
Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents, seated to the left, react to the verdict. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams is seated to the far right.
Artist: Elizabeth Williams
The moment of truth
Back in the courtroom on Thursday evening, the anticipation was palpable in room 26b on the top floor of 500 Pearl Street. Every pew was filled with the same faces that had crowded the courthouse since the trial began on Oct. 3 — a group comprised of some of the top names in business and crypto news media.
Most in the gallery were dressed in multiple layers of fleece-lined jackets, sweaters, and a mix of jeans and sweatpants. Any hint of formal dress was gone by the second week of court, in part thanks to the weather. Over the course of the monthlong trial, the temperature had plunged from 79 degrees Fahrenheit to 42 degrees on the evening the verdict was read.
But in Judge Kaplan’s courtroom that evening, there was no way of knowing what it was like outside. Typically, during the day, the ceiling-high windows along the perimeter of the courtroom would offer unrivaled views over the Manhattan skyline. But that night, opaque white blinds obscured the world beyond the domain of the 78-year-old judge.
The jury had been sent to deliberate at 3:15 p.m. and had been given an hour to eat pizza for dinner, courtesy of the government. By 7:30 p.m., it was unclear to the room of writers whether the jury would reach a unanimous decision by the deadline of 8 p.m., when the last security shift ended. They’d had less than four hours to consider the evidence in a trial that had run for a month and consisted of nearly 20 witnesses and hundreds of exhibits.
Then, at 7:37 p.m., attorneys for both the government and the defense rushed back as the clerk announced, “The jury has reached a verdict.” A minute later, jurors were back in their seats.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is questioned by prosecutor Danielle Sassoon (not seen) during his fraud trial over the collapse of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange at federal court in New York City, U.S., October 31, 2023 in this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
All eyes were trained on Bankman-Fried, as well his parents, Joe Bankman and Barbara Fried, who sat clutching one another in the second row. Neither they nor their son shed a tear over the course of the proceedings, in what appeared to be stoicism or perhaps a reflection of an emotional callus built up over months of fighting against regulators, prosecutors, the FTX bankruptcy estate, and paparazzi.
A scene in the security line outside the courthouse one morning was typical. A photographer, standing outside tinted glass designed to conceal the faces within, held a portable light above his head as he stalked Bankman-Fried’s parents along a thirty-foot stretch. Over the course of ten minutes, he inched along the line with them, flashing his light hundreds of times to capture the perfect shot of two people at the lowest point in their lives.
Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried arrive for the trial of their son, former FTX Chief Executive Sam Bankman-Fried, who is facing fraud charges over the collapse of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, at Federal Court in New York City, U.S., October 26, 2023.
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters
The defendant wore a purple tie with his black suit, which hung loose on his gaunt frame. His face, drawn, made his ears stand out a bit more than usual, and his iconic curls had returned. The fresh haircut he donned during the first week of trial, reportedly given to him by a fellow inmate, had lost its form and given way to the wild tendrils now synonymous with the man once regaled as the king of crypto.
Kaplan instructed Bankman-Fried to stand and face the jury box as the verdicts were read. The only other person standing was the forewoman.
By 7:47 p.m., Bankman-Fried’s fate had been delivered. Bankman-Fried’s parents hunched over and buried their head in their hands, but true to form, they stopped short of crying.
Immediately after the guilty verdicts, the defense’s principal trial attorney, Mark Cohen, asked for a poll of the jurors. A courtroom official went juror by juror, asking each if their verdict was read properly. Each said yes.
Judge Kaplan thanked the jurors for their service, adding a flourish of personal anecdotes to his final address to the jury. The twelve civilians stared blankly as the judge thanked them for paying attention and for learning the inner workings of the crypto industry.
The jurors were escorted out. Judge Kaplan congratulated attorneys on both sides on having done a “good job,” then departed himself.
Bankman-Fried, his parents, and a few dozen reporters lingered behind in the courtroom.
Bankman-Fried had never sat back down after the judge left. His gaze, angled downward, remained facing the judge’s bench. He stood flanked by attorney Christian Everdell on his left and Cohen on his right. Cohen, whispering into his ear, occasionally placed his left hand on Sam’s back as a sign of support.
It was silent in 26b. Writers stood and gathered toward the center aisle leading to the bar separating the defendant’s table and jury box from the gallery. Standing at the back of the crowd, people gathered as if behind a prophet, waiting for a word.
Around 8:02 p.m., Bankman-Fried, speechless, began to walk to a room just adjacent to the main court. His parents were standing at the front of the center aisle, waiting for their son.
Environment
EcoFlow members can save up to 65% on power stations while supporting disaster relief during the 2025 Member’s Festival
Portable power station specialist EcoFlow is kicking off its third annual Member’s Festival this month and is offering a unique new rewards program to those who become EcoFlow members. The 2025 EcoFlow Member’s Festival will offer savings of up to 65% for its participating customers, and a portion of those funds will be allocated toward rescue power solutions for communities around the globe through the company’s “Power for All” fund.
EcoFlow remains one of the industry leaders in portable power solutions and continues to trek forward in its vision to power a new tech-driven, eco-conscious future. Per its website:
Our mission from day one is to provide smart and eco-friendly energy solutions for individuals, families, and society at large. We are, were, and will continue to be a reliable and trusted energy companion for users around the world.
To achieve such goals, EcoFlow has continued to expand its portfolio of sustainable energy solutions to its community members, including portable power stations, solar generators, and mountable solar panels. While EcoFlow is doing plenty to support its growing customer base, it has expanded its reach by giving back to disaster-affected communities by helping bolster global disaster response efforts the best way it knows how– with portable power solutions.
EcoFlow and its members look to provide “Power for All”
Since 2023, EcoFlow has collaborated with organizations worldwide as part of its “Power for All” mission. This initiative aims to ensure access to reliable and timely power to disaster-affected communities across the globe, including rescue agencies, affected hospitals, and shelters, to support rescue and recovery efforts.
This fund most recently provided aid for communities affected by the recent Los Angeles wildfires, assistance to the Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT) in North Carolina following severe hurricanes, and support for non-profits engaged in hurricane preparedness in Florida and the Gulf Coast. Per Jodi Burns, CEO of the Special Forces Charitable Trust:
In the wake of devastating storms in Western North Carolina, reliable power was a critical need for the families we serve. Thanks to EcoFlow’s generous donation of generators, we were able to provide immediate relief, ensuring these families and their communities had access to power when they needed it most. We are so impressed with EcoFlow’s commitment to disaster response through their ‘Power for All’ program. It has made a tangible impact, and we are deeply grateful for their support and partnership in helping these families recover and rebuild.
In 2024, the US experienced 27 weather and climate events, each causing losses exceeding $1 billion, marking the second-highest annual total on record, according to National Centers for Environmental Information. The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters underscore the critical need for reliable and timely power solutions during emergencies, much like EcoFlow and its members are helping provide through the “Power For All” initiative.
To support new and existing EcoFlow members, the company is celebrating its third annual Member’s Festival throughout April to offer a do-not-miss discount on its products and donate a portion of all sales to the “Power for All” fund to provide rescue power to those in need in the future. Learn how it all works below.
Save big and give back during the 2025 Member’s Festival
As of April 1st, you can now sign up to become an EcoFlow member to participate in the company’s exclusive 2025 Member Festival.
As a member, you can earn “EcoFlow Power Points” by completing tasks like registration, referrals, and product purchases and tracking your individual efforts toward disaster preparedness and recovery.
Beginning April 4, EcoFlow members will also be able to take advantage of exclusive discounts of up to 65% off select portable power stations, including the DELTA Pro Ultra, DELTA Pro 3, DELTA 2 Max, DELTA 3 Plus, RIVER 3 Plus, and more. However, these sale prices only last through April 25, so you’ll want to move quickly!
Click here to learn more about EcoFlow’s “Power for All” campaign. To register for EcoFlow’s 2025 Member Festival in the US, visit the EcoFlow website. To register as a member in Canada, visit here.
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Tesla is losing another top talent: its long-time head of software, David Lau, has reportedly told co-workers that he is exiting the automaker.
Tesla changed how the entire auto industry looks at software.
Before Tesla, it was an afterthought; user interfaces were rudimentary, and you had to go to a dealership to get a software update on your systems.
When Tesla launched the Model S in 2012, it all changed. Your car would get better through software updates like your phone, the large center display was responsive with a UI that actually made sense and was closer to an iPad experience than a car.
Tesla also integrated its software into its retail experience, service, and manufacturing.
David Lau deserves a lot of the credit for that.
He joined Tesla in 2012 as a senior manager of firmware engineering and quickly rose through the ranks. By 2014, he was promoted to director of firmware engineering and system integration, and in 2017, he became Vice President of software.
Lau listed the responsibilities of his team on his LinkedIn:
- Vehicle Software:
- Firmware for the powertrain, traction/stability control, HV electronics, battery management, and body control systems
- UI software and underlying Embedded Linux platforms
- Navigation and routing
- iOS and Android Mobile apps
- Distributed Systems:
- Server-side software and infrastructure that provides telemetry, diagnostics, over-the-air updates, and configuration/lifecycle management
- Data engineering and analytics platforms that power technical and business insights for an increasingly diverse set of customers across the company
- Diagnostic tools and fleet management, Manufacturing and Automation:
- Automation controls (PLC, robot)
- Server-side manufacturing execution systems that power all of Tesla’s production operations
- Product Security and Red Team for software, services, and systems across Tesla
Bloomberg reported today that Lau told his team he is leaving Tesla. The report didn’t include reasons for his stepping down.
Electrek’s Take
Twelve years at any company is a great run. At Tesla, it’s heroic. Congrats, David, on a great run. You undoubtedly had a significant impact on Tesla and software advancements in the broader auto industry.
He is another significant loss for Tesla, which has been losing a lot of top talent following a big wave of layoffs around this time last year.
I wonder who will take over. Michael Rizkalla, senior director of software engineering and vehicle firmware, is one of the most senior software engineers after Lau. He has been at Tesla for 7 years, and Tesla likes to promote within rather than hire outsiders.
There are also a lot of senior software execs working on AI at Tesla. Musk has been favoring them lately and he could fold Lau’s responsibilities under them.
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Kia’s electric SUVs are taking over. The EV3 is the best-selling retail EV in the UK this year, giving Kia its strongest sales start since it arrived 34 years ago. And it’s not just in the UK. Kia just had its best first quarter globally since it started selling cars in 1962.
Kia EV3 is the best-selling EV in the UK through March
In March, Kia sold a record nearly 20,000 vehicles in the UK, making it the fourth best-selling brand. It was also the second top-seller of electrified vehicles (EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs), accounting for over 55% of sales.
The EV3 remained the best-selling retail EV in the UK last month. Including the EV6, three-row EV9, and Niro EV, electric vehicles represented 21% of Kia’s UK sales in March.
Kia said the EV3 “started with a bang” in January, darting out as the UK’s most popular EV in retail sales. Through March, Kia’s electric SUV has held on to the crown. With the EV3 rolling out, Kia sold over 7,000 electric cars through March, nearly 50% more than in Q1 2024.
The EV3 was the best-selling retail EV in the UK in the first quarter and the fourth best-selling EV overall, including commercial vehicles.
Starting at £33,005 ($42,500), Kia said it’s the “brand’s most affordable EV yet.” It’s available with two battery packs, 58.3 kWh or 81.48 kWh, good for 430 km (270 miles) and 599 km (375 miles) of WLTP range, respectively.
With new EVs on the way, this could be just the start. Kia is launching several new EVs in the UK this year, including the EV4 sedan (and hatchback) and EV5 SUV. It also confirmed that the first PV5 electric vans will be delivered to customers by the end of the year.
Electrek’s Take
Globally, Kia sold a record 772,351 vehicles in the first quarter, its best since it started selling cars in 1962. With the new EV4, the brand’s first electric sedan and hatchback, launching this year, Kia looks to build on its momentum in 2025.
Kia has also made it very clear that it wants to be a global leader in the electric van market with its new Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) business, starting with the PV5 later this year.
Earlier today, we learned Kia’s midsize electric SUV, the EV5, is the fourth best-selling EV in Australia through March, outselling every BYD vehicle (at least for now). The EV5 is rolling out to new markets this year, including Canada, the UK, South Korea, and Mexico. However, it will not arrive in the US.
For those in the US, there are still a few Kia EVs to look forward to. Kia is launching the EV4 globally, including in the US, later this year. Although no date has been set, Kia confirmed the EV3 is also coming. It’s expected to arrive in mid-2026.
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