The Crypto Industry Is Built on Lies, with Ben McKenzie

This episode is sponsored by Incogni. For 60% off your first order, go to https://incogni.com/mehdi Would you be surprised to find out that one of the leading investigators into the cryptocurrency industry is… a former teen heartthrob from the early 2000s TV series ‘The O.C.’? Ben McKenzie became famous for playing bad boy Ryan Atwood in the hit 2003 drama, but he may end up being remembered for his work investigating and speaking out against the opaque crypto industry. Ben is the writer, director, and star of the new documentary, ‘Everyone Is Lying To You For Money’, which documents his years-long look into the scammy, fraudulent, and oftentimes criminal world of cryptocurrency. He met up with Mehdi in Washington D.C. to talk about his new film and what drove him to make it. Mehdi and Ben unpack the film’s globetrotting story — from Miami, to El Salvador, to London — as Ben follows the (figurative) money. Ben explains what exactly cryptocurrency is and uncovers why its evangelists want you to buy it so badly. The two also discuss: How ‘The O.C.’ introduced an entire generation to class politics. Why Ben is supporting Brad Lander for Congress over Dan Goldman. If taking corporate PAC money should be a litmus test for Democrats. Which Democrats have a shot at the presidency in 2028… CHAPTERS 00:00 - Opening Montage 1:05 - Intro 4:31 - ‘The O.C.’ 8:38 - ‘Gotham’ 11:15 - Making the documentary 13:39 - What is cryptocurrency? 19:52 - Why investigate? 22:32 - Interviewing Sam Bankman-Fried 25:00 - Financial journalism 27:09 - Trump and crypto 29:30 - Shaming crypto politicians 32:18 - Crypto’s “human cost” 35:48 - Wealth inequality 38:32 - Sam Altman and AI 42:20 - Corporate Democrats 46:50 - Endorsing Brad Lander 49:34 - 2028 Presidential race 53:41 - Backlash for speaking out? This interview was published 10 days earlier on Zeteo.com. If you want early access to exclusive content and hard-hitting, independent journalism, subscribe on Substack here: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch, listen and subscribe to ‘We’re Not Kidding’ on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/were-not-kidding-... Listen to ‘We’re Not Kidding’ as a podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ogT7Zv... Find Zeteo: Twitter:   / zeteo_news   Instagram:   / zeteonews   TikTok:   / zeteonews   Find Mehdi: Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan Twitter:   / @mehdirhasan   Instagram:   / @mehdirhasan   Tik Tok:   / mehdirhasan   Credits: Hosted by Mehdi Hasan Guest Host: Ben McKenzie Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello Music: Andy Clausen Design: Alicia Tatone Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/networ...