The Deaths of Effective Altruism | WIRED
archive.today webpage capture Saved from history←priornext→ 13 Apr 2026 22:56:18 UTC All snapshots from host www.wired.com WebpageScreenshot sharedownload .zipreport bug or abuseBuy me a coffee Skip to main content NEWSLETTERS LEIF WENAR THE BIG STORY MAR 27, 2024 6:00 AM The Deaths of Effective Altruism Sam Bankman-Fried is finally facing punishment. Let’s also put his ruinous philosophy on trial. ILLUSTRATION: BILL MAYER Listen • 49 minutes I’M FOND OF effective altruists. When you meet one, ask them how many people they’ve killed. Effective altruism is the philosophy of Sam Bankman-Fried, the crypto wunderkind now sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud and money laundering. Elon Musk has said that EA is close to what he believes. Facebook mogul Dustin Moskovitz and Skype cofounder Jaan Tallinn have spent mega-millions on its causes, and EAs have made major moves to influence American politics. In 2021, EA boasted of $46 billion in funding—comparable to what it’s estimated th