Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried paid $5million for Democrat analytics firm

Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried ‘paid $5 million cash for major analytics firm with trove of voter information to help Democratic campaigns’

  • Disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried purchased a voter analytics company dedicated to helping Democratic campaigns, according to reports
  • Bankman-Fried paid $5 million of his own cash for the analytics start-up Deck over the summer
  • The 30-year-old told Deck founder Max Wood he would bring a financially stable path and bought out all other investors in the firm during his acquisition
  • With the acquisition of Deck, it is likely Bankman-Fried gained access to significant Democratic National Committee data and information
  • The purchase was part of his attempt to involve himself deeper in politics 

Disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried purchased a voter analytics company dedicated to helping Democratic campaigns, according to new reports.

Bankman-Fried paid $5 million of his own cash for the analytics start-up Deck over the summer.

The 30-year-old told Deck founder Max Wood he would bring a financially stable path, according to Puck, and bought out all other investors in the firm during his acquisition.

The platform offers predictive analytics for political campaigns, which can be used for targeting voters with information.

News of the acquisition comes days after it was revealed Bankman-Fried – whose crypto exchange sensationally collapsed earlier this month – had sunk tens of millions in funding into a swath of major media companies.

FTX filed for bankruptcy amid reports it owes billions of dollars to customers.

Disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried purchased Deck, a voter analytics company dedicated to helping Democratic campaigns, this past summer 

Bankman-Fried told Deck founder Max Wood (above) he would bring a financially stable path, according to Puck, and bought out all other investors in the firm during his acquisition.

Bankman-Fried told Deck founder Max Wood (above) he would bring a financially stable path, according to Puck, and bought out all other investors in the firm during his acquisition.

In its November bankruptcy filing, it was revealed that Bankman-Fried individually owns Deck.

His purchase of the firm was part of an ongoing move to involve himself deeper in politics. 

 During the midterm elections, he donated about $40 million to largely Democratic campaigns and said he wanted to donate about $ 1 billion by the 2024 elections, according to Fox Business.

With the acquisition of Deck, it is likely Bankman-Fried gained access to significant Democratic National Committee data and information, as the service has a deal with the DNC which allows it to be provided free to Democratic campaigns.

Deck offers predictive analytics for political campaigns, which can be used for targeting voters with information

Deck offers predictive analytics for political campaigns, which can be used for targeting voters with information

With the acquisition of Deck it is likely Bankman-Fried gained access to significant Democratic National Committee data and information, as the service has a deal with the DNC which allows it to be provided free to Democratic campaigns

With the acquisition of Deck it is likely Bankman-Fried gained access to significant Democratic National Committee data and information, as the service has a deal with the DNC which allows it to be provided free to Democratic campaigns

In a February blog post, Wood explained how Deck’s voter data helps Democratic campaigns.

‘At Deck, we help progressive campaigns and organizations reach the right voters,’ he wrote, ‘To do that, we’ve developed models that predict who a voter will support, how elastic that support might be, how a voter might cast their ballot and more.’

‘Then, to make those predictions actionable, we’ve built software that guides users through the process of building great lists for persuading voters, mobilizing supporters, and raising campaign funds across a range of outreach tactics.’

It is unclear how Deck will be affected by FTX’s collapse. According to Puck, the firm has attempted to distance itself from FTX in the fallout and is searching for new investors.

Bankman-Fried's purchase of the firm was part of an ongoing move to involve himself deeper in politics.

Bankman-Fried’s purchase of the firm was part of an ongoing move to involve himself deeper in politics.

FTX filed for bankruptcy amid reports it owes billions of dollars to customers

FTX filed for bankruptcy amid reports it owes billions of dollars to customers

Bankman-Fried also reportedly financially backed half a dozen liberal media outlets including ProPublica, Vox and the Intercept.

In a letter to staff, the Intercept’s acting editor-in-chief Roger Hodge said that due to the collapse of FTX, the news website is reliant on other donors ‘stepping forward’ to make up for the shortfall. 

The letter stated the company had expected to receive $3.25 million from Bankman-Fried over the next two years, but that all further payments are on hold. 

The Intercept received $500,000 from the disgraced CEO in September and another $250,000 was due in December.