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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:
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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
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