--- title: "Sam Bankman-Fried’s Parents Reportedly Got Him a Dog So He Wouldn’t Be So Lonely" description: "Sam Bankman-Fried's friend and colleagues turned on him to save themselves. So, his parents have apparently given him a dog — who doubles as security." date: "2023-01-19" modified: "2023-01-19" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/sam-bankman-fried-dog" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Future Society" tags: - "ftx" - "sam bankman-fried" - "sbf" - "the digest" --- # Sam Bankman-Fried’s Parents Reportedly Got Him a Dog So He Wouldn’t Be So Lonely ![Sam Bankman-Fried's friend and colleagues turned on him to save themselves. So, his parents have apparently given him a dog — who doubles as security.]() *\Image: Michael M. Santiago via Getty / Futurism\* ## Good Boy You know what they say: don't go into business with your friends, lest you build a multi-billion-dollar crypto empire, commit [several alleged felonies]() together along the way, and ultimately [watch the whole thing collapse]() as a result. You'll probably [get arrested](), your friends [will turn on you]() to save themselves — and your parents will have to buy you a 75-pound German shepherd named Sandor to keep you company while you're [stuck at home]()[ on house arrest](). As far as we can tell, that's exactly what happened to Sam Bankman-Fried, the 29-year-old former CEO of the crypto exchange FTX, according to a [new *Puck* profile](). Good doggy! ## House Arrest The former crypto wonder boy has seen better days. He was recently extradited to the US from a [rat-infested]() Bahamian prison, where he tried to live on [just a jar of peanut butter]() for several days. Now he's cooped up with an [ankle monitor]() at his Stanford law professor parents' home in Palo Alto, by way of a $250 million dollar bail — and he's apparently quite lonely, according to a *Puck*. Lonely enough, at least, to warrant the acquisition of a new pet. His friends, as he told *Puck*, were his peers at work, most of whom are either cooperating with the feds in the case against him or simply just steering clear. "A lot of the people who I was closest to were my colleagues," he told *Puck*, when asked if he had any pre-FTX friends to confide in. "Most of the people who I was friends with are not talking to me." "I don't blame people," he added, "for wanting to try and avoid getting drawn into the shitshow as best they can." ## Storybrook Sandor Besides palling around with his new canine companion, *Puck* reports that SBF is spending his days as one might expect: eating takeout vegan burgers, playing video games, and spending way too much time on Twitter. "It feels simultaneously very antsy and frustrating and stressful," he told the publication. And we believe him. In any case, we wish SBF's security doggo, Sandor, nothing but good thoughts. We're sure he's a very good boy — unlike certain characters in the crypto business. **READ MORE:** *[The Only Living Boy in Palo Alto]()* \[*Puck News*\] **More on SBF's time at home:** *[Sam Bankman-Fried, Bored on House Arrest, Starts a Substack]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()