THE ALTRUISTS

The Altruists Reveals the Toxic Relationship Behind the FTX Crypto Scandal

They wanted to change the financial world.

They became billionaires almost overnight.

Then everything came crashing down.

The Altruists stars Julia Garner and Anthony Boyle in a Netflix limited series exploring the rise and fall of FTX, the cryptocurrency empire at the center of one of the biggest financial fraud scandals in recent history.

Anthony Boyle plays Sam Bankman-Fried, the young entrepreneur who built FTX into a global cryptocurrency exchange that attracted billions of dollars and made him one of the most recognizable figures in the emerging crypto industry.

Julia Garner portrays Caroline Ellison, the brilliant mathematician who became CEO of Alameda Research, the trading firm closely connected to FTX.

Together, they were young, ambitious and convinced they could accomplish something extraordinary.

Their stated goal wasn't simply to make money.

They believed they could use their wealth to make the world a better place.

But behind the image of idealistic entrepreneurs attempting to revolutionize finance was a complicated personal and professional relationship.

As FTX grew into a multibillion-dollar business, Bankman-Fried and Ellison became increasingly entangled in decisions involving enormous amounts of money, questionable financial practices and the pressure of maintaining an empire that was expanding faster than anyone could control.

Their romantic relationship added another layer of complications.

And as the financial situation deteriorated, the consequences became impossible to ignore.

In 2022, FTX collapsed.

Investigations revealed that billions of dollars in customer funds had been improperly used, triggering criminal proceedings and exposing serious misconduct within the cryptocurrency exchange.

Bankman-Fried was eventually convicted of fraud and conspiracy, while Ellison pleaded guilty to charges connected to the scheme and cooperated with federal prosecutors.

But The Altruists isn't simply another examination of financial crimes and cryptocurrency.

Created by Graham Moore and Jacqueline Hoyt, the eight-episode drama explores the personal relationship between two exceptionally intelligent young people whose ambitions, insecurities and complicated feelings for one another became intertwined with the decisions that helped destroy their financial empire.

The series looks beyond the headlines to dramatize the private moments, emotional conflicts and personal dynamics surrounding the scandal.

At its heart, The Altruists is a story about what happens when enormous wealth, unchecked ambition and a complicated relationship collide.

Sam Bankman-Fried and Caroline Ellison believed they were building something that could change the world.

Instead, they became central figures in a scandal that cost investors and customers billions.

All eight episodes of The Altruists begin streaming exclusively on Netflix November 19, 2026.