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submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by Architeuthis@awful.systems to c/sneerclub@awful.systems

For thursday's sentencing the us government indicated they would be happy with a 40-50 prison sentence, and in the list of reasons they cite there's this gem:

  1. Bankman-Fried's effective altruism and own statements about risk suggest he would be likely to commit another fraud if he determined it had high enough "expected value". They point to Caroline Ellison's testimony in which she said that Bankman-Fried had expressed to her that he would "be happy to flip a coin, if it came up tails and the world was destroyed, as long as if it came up heads the world would be like more than twice as good". They also point to Bankman-Fried's "own 'calculations'" described in his sentencing memo, in which he says his life now has negative expected value. "Such a calculus will inevitably lead him to trying again," they write.

Turns out making it a point of pride that you have the morality of an anime villain does not endear you to prosecutors, who knew.

Bonus: SBF's lawyers' list of assertions for asking for a shorter sentence includes this hilarious bit reasoning:

They argue that Bankman-Fried would not reoffend, for reasons including that "he would sooner suffer than bring disrepute to any philanthropic movement."

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[-] dgerard@awful.systems 12 points 7 months ago

i expect that if you listened to the water pipes in MDC Brooklyn, you could hear SBF tapping out a full explanation of his crimes in Morse code, especially why it was all Caroline's fault

[-] Soyweiser@awful.systems 11 points 7 months ago

Come on, that comes in the book soon to be released from prison. Also included in the book, how he is justified in hating books and all who read them as all his book smart lawyers gave him 30 years in prison on the appeal!

[-] dgerard@awful.systems 9 points 7 months ago

by Michael Lewis, published by Kindle Print

[-] cstross@wandering.shop 9 points 7 months ago

@dgerard @sneerclub he's gonna start a Basilisk cult in prison, isn't he. Get out in 25 years and head straight for the executive suite in the temple his followers will have built for him.

[-] froztbyte@awful.systems 9 points 7 months ago

I expect we'll soon hear the laments of how prison impacts ev, maybe combined with some utterly twisted argument for prison abolition (along with their own deeply fucked replacement suggestion)

[-] dgerard@awful.systems 9 points 7 months ago

the important point is that prison abolition should start with financial so-called "'"'"crimes"'"'",

[-] cstross@wandering.shop 11 points 7 months ago

@dgerard "B-B-BUT prison is meant to be for TEH POORS!! This is WRONG!!!"

[-] dgerard@awful.systems 7 points 7 months ago

that's why they specifically put in how Sam ripped off his investors too

[-] dgerard@awful.systems 5 points 7 months ago

oh god he totally will won't he

this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2024
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Hurling ordure at the TREACLES, especially those closely related to LessWrong.

AI-Industrial-Complex grift is fine as long as it sufficiently relates to the AI doom from the TREACLES. (Though TechTakes may be more suitable.)

This is sneer club, not debate club. Unless it's amusing debate.

[Especially don't debate the race scientists, if any sneak in - we ban and delete them as unsuitable for the server.]

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