$26B to 25 years in prison. $8B in customer funds gone. 12 months.
Sam Bankman-Fried built FTX into the world's second-largest crypto exchange, reaching a $32 billion valuation and a personal net worth of $26 billion by age 29 — a rise faster than any other on this list. Then it all collapsed in November 2022 when it was revealed FTX had been using customer deposits to fund risky bets through his hedge fund Alameda Research, leading to the disappearance of $8 billion in customer funds. He was arrested in the Bahamas, convicted on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy, and sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. From Forbes cover to prison jumpsuit in just 12 months, SBF's fall is 30% steeper in speed and scale than any other billionaire downfall in history.
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