--- title: "SBF Says He Had No Idea “What Was Happening” Because He “Wasn’t Much of a Programmer”" description: "Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried says that because he wasn't a coder, he wasn't sure what was going on with that alleged \"back door.\"" date: "2023-10-27" modified: "2023-10-27" 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-no-idea-programmer" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "ftx" - "sam bankman-fried" - "the digest" --- # SBF Says He Had No Idea “What Was Happening” Because He “Wasn’t Much of a Programmer” ![Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried says that because he wasn't a coder, he wasn't sure what was going on with that alleged "back door."]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Your Honor, IDK Just days after the trial of ex-FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried began in early October, a bombshell [*Wall Street Journal* report]() revealed that there was a mysterious "[back door]()" in FTX's code allowing Alameda Research, the crypto exchange's closely-tied hedge fund, special access to FTX customer funds. Today, when Bankman-Fried — who most recently decided to [testify in his own defense]() — was asked about this alleged back door on the witness stand, he answered with a [decidedly SBF-style non-answer](). "Ultimately, I had authority," Bankman-Fried admitted, as [quoted by *CNN*](). But "on the other hand, I wasn't much of a programmer." "I wasn't entirely sure what was happening," he added. There you have it, folks! As long as you have no idea what's going on beneath you while you're in charge, you're free and clear of any responsibility — an excuse we're simply not buying. ## Back Door Blues According to the allegations against him, it's likely that Bankman-Fried was aware of the situation. Back in 2021, FTX acquired a smaller crypto company called LedgerX. Somewhere along the way, LedgerX engineers discovered several problematic areas in FTX code where the crypto exchange seemingly mismanaged risk and account liquidations. Unclear on what he and other engineers had discovered, a LedgerX employee named Jim Outen informed his boss, LedgerX chief risk officer Julie Schoening, of the matter, reportedly telling her in a message that "there are currently a few places in the… code base where Alameda gets special treatment in one way or another." Schoening decided to run the inconsistencies further up the flag pole, and eventually, to former FTX engineering director and [close Bankman-Fried pal Nishad Singh](). According to the *WSJ*, Singh deleted the section entirely shortly thereafter. In August, Schoening was fired. In short, SBF might not have actually been the one to write the code. But he was still in charge as the CEO, and given his involvement with both companies, among other allegations of [doctored Alameda balance sheets]() and [misappropriated FTX customer funds](), it's hard to believe he didn't have a grasp on what that "back door" was for — and why, for that matter, it was wrong. **More on SBF's go at the witness stand:** [*Sam Bankman-Fried Admits He Only "Skimmed" FTX's Terms of Service*]() ## 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]()