--- title: "SBF’s Former Assistant Says He Was Like a Little Boy Who Made a Huge Mistake" description: "Natalie Tien, Sam Bankman-Fried's former assistant, is defending her old boss — but is also wondering if it's just Stockholm syndrome." date: "2023-11-06" modified: "2023-11-06" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/sbf-former-assistant" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Future Society" tags: - "ftx" - "sam bankman-fried" - "the digest" --- # SBF’s Former Assistant Says He Was Like a Little Boy Who Made a Huge Mistake ![Natalie Tien, Sam Bankman-Fried's former assistant, is defending her old boss — but is also wondering if it's just Stockholm syndrome.]() *\Image: Faith Aktas/Anadolu via Getty / Futurism\* ## Lil Baby Last week, after a month-long trial, former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty on seven counts of fraud — a verdict that could put the former crypto king behind bars [for the rest of his life](). During the trial, two very different versions of Bankman-Fried were presented to the jury. In the prosecution's — ultimately winning — telling, Bankman-Fried was a conniving villain who planned and executed crimes motivated by unbridled greed; meanwhile, according to the defense, the former billionaire was a [bumbling fool]() who [never meant for anyone to get hurt](). And now, in the wake of SBF's conviction, it seems that yet another portrait of the young crypto con is emerging. As Natalie Tien, FTX's former head of PR and marketing and Bankman-Fried's one-time personal assistant, [told *Axios*](), watching her former boss face a life sentence made her feel very "sad" — but mostly, she says, because people just don't get him. "I feel like this is the right outcome and I feel like he needs to be responsible for what happened," Tien told *Axios*, lamenting that she "couldn't help but feel sad because I do feel like he's so misunderstood." "I saw a more human side of Sam," Tien added later, "and I just feel like it was watching a kid do something that went really wrong." ## Stockholm Market Throughout the interview, Tien — who admitted that she'd herself lost $500,000 in the FTX crash — reiterated her belief that Bankman-Fried's actions weren't ever really about money, telling *Axios* that she "genuinely still \[believes\] that he wasn't in it to make himself a fortune." Of course, this is a very different insider picture of Bankman-Fried than was painted by other former friends and coworkers, many of whom took the stand against their former boss in the trial. And, as we're sure it also goes without saying: Bankman-Fried, a 31-year-old man, is not a little boy. Still, to Tien's credit, Bankman-Fried's reputation as a [reluctant genius-boy wunderkind]() certainly hinged on his youth, while his apparent aloofness and nonplus to the luxury of it all — a portrayal that, in retrospect, [was resoundingly misleading]() — were central elements to his success and thus, to the success of FTX overall. And for most people, we're sure it's true that if you give enough time and energy to something — and, in Tien's case, *someone* — you probably want to believe that said thing or person isn't committing massive financial crimes. "And that's the thing I wonder — is it because I used to work for him, so I brainwashed myself?" Tien bluntly told *Axios* when asked if she might be experiencing Stockholm syndrome. "And was I brainwashed so deep that I'm still defending it?" "I still don't know," Tien added. **More on Sam Bankman-Fried:** [*Elon Musk Was Staggeringly Wrong about Sam Bankman-Fried*]() ## 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]()