EASY MONEY
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From a famous actor and an experienced journalist, a wildly entertaining debunking of cryptocurrency, one of the greatest frauds in history
At the height of the pandemic, TV star Ben McKenzie (The O.C., Gotham) was the perfect mark for cryptocurrency: a dad stuck at home with some cash in his pocket, worried about his family, armed with only the vague notion that people were making heaps of money on something he—despite a degree in economics—didn’t entirely understand. Lured in by the promise of taking power from banks, possibly improving democracy, and sure, a touch of FOMO, McKenzie dove deep into blockchain, Bitcoin, and the various other coins and exchanges on which they are traded.
But after scratching the surface, he had to ask, “Am I crazy, or is this all a total scam?” In Easy Money, McKenzie enlists the help of journalist Jacob Silverman for a caper and exposé that points in shock to the climactic final days of cryptocurrency now upon us. Weaving together stories of average traders and victims, colorful crypto “visionaries,” Hollywood’s biggest true believers, anti-crypto whistleblowers, and government agents searching for solutions at the precipice of a major crash, Easy Money is an on-the-ground look at a perfect storm of 2008 Housing Bubble–level irresponsibility and criminal fraud potentially ten times more devastating than Bernie Madoff.
“A smart, savvy road map through the mayhem of the cryptocurrency madness.”
—Ron Chernow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Alexander Hamilton
“McKenzie, famous for his role in the drama The O.C., provides a gripping write-up of his personal journey to unveil what he considers to be the con underpinning the crypto world. From meetings with the CIA to an engrossing interview with Sam Bankman-Fried, McKenzie shows he is equally comfortable with economics and investigative journalism, as he is with Hollywood.” –Financial Times UK
“The crypto-curious will appreciate the authors’ accessible explanations of how digital currencies work, and the profiles illuminate how hype and irresponsible business practices inflated the crypto bubble for years before its inevitable burst. The result is a damning study of how and why the crypto market collapsed.” –Publishers Weekly
“Readers will be drawn into this easy-to-understand version of the crypto world and how it ties to banking, economics, and potential for economic ruin.” –Booklist
BEN MCKENZIE 