Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer Crypto, Cryptocurrency Scams, and the Illusion of Easy Money (with Ben McKenzie)
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Apr 28, 2026 
Ben McKenzie, actor-turned-author/director known for The O.C. and Gotham, investigates cryptocurrency and fraud. He revisits why he turned curiosity into a book and film. He recounts interviews with crypto leaders and fraudsters, explains why crypto struggles as real money, and explores the cult-like psychology and systemic risks behind boom-bust speculation.
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Pandemic Boredom Led To Crypto Investigation
- Ben McKenzie started researching crypto during the pandemic after a college friend urged him to buy Bitcoin.
- Bored from showbiz pause, he used his economics background and teamed with journalist Jacob Silverman to write Easy Money.
Crypto Acts More Like Speculation And Crime
- Cryptocurrency functions mainly as speculative instruments and crime enablers rather than money.
- Ben McKenzie interviewed figures like Sam Bankman-Fried and Alex Mashinsky and traces crypto's history as rife with fraud and manipulation.
Private Crypto Echoes Failed Free Banking Era
- Crypto as private money recalls 19th-century free banking failures where private-issued currency led to fraud.
- Historical free banking problems motivated creation of a central bank; private corporate-issued crypto repeats that risk.
