Charlie Javice: Fake It Til You Make It | 197
Scamfluencers
Audible
4.1 • 7.7K Ratings
🗓️ 19 January 2026
⏱️ 64 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the early 2000s, Charlie Javice dreamed of saving the world… and getting rich in the process. Backed by privilege and proximity to power, she raised money for a series of startups that claimed to help people in need – culminating in Frank, a company designed to help students access financial aid. But after years of playing the “fake it ‘til you make it game,” a big bank finally calls her bluff. Instead of backing down, Charlie doubles down – even with prison on the line.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Sachi, I think our age group was kind of coming up around the time when, like, very certain nerds became obsessed with the idea of, you know, having a startup. |
| 0:20.6 | Did you know any of these kinds of people? |
| 0:23.7 | Sarah, I dated one. Oh my God. Yeah, I know. He wore a pukeshel necklace. I'm so sorry. Thank you. |
| 0:32.8 | That's really, must have been really scary for you. It was pretty hard, and I feel really |
| 0:36.9 | brave for having gone through it at such a young age. |
| 0:39.8 | I feel like I found it particularly insane because it was obvious these people weren't just trying to get rich. |
| 0:48.1 | It was like they want to really cosplay as like, I'm a brilliant weirdo who wears the same thing every day, you know? |
| 0:56.0 | Yeah, it's not enough to be successful. |
| 0:58.3 | They have to be unique in their success. |
| 1:00.5 | And it usually means that they don't do anything at all. |
| 1:03.8 | Yes. |
| 1:04.8 | Well, today I'm going to tell you about a woman who thinks founder is a proper noun and an entire identity. |
| 1:12.4 | And when it came time to choose between changing the world and making her fortune, |
| 1:17.1 | she robbed one of the biggest banks in the world in plain sight. |
| 1:26.4 | It's April 2012 and Michael Gibson is in San Francisco filming a CNBC reality competition show called 20 Under 20, Transforming Tomorrow. |
| 1:37.3 | Michael is a young, handsome guy with a beard and tousled hair. |
| 1:41.8 | He's a vice president of grants at the Teal Foundation, which is run by |
| 1:45.2 | Peter Teal, the infamous right-wing tech investor. Today, Michael is serving as a mentor to around |
| 1:51.9 | 50 eager, ambitious young entrepreneurs who are competing to win a fellowship from the foundation. |
| 1:58.2 | The fellowship comes with $100,000, which the winners can use to fund their |
| 2:02.5 | startup, plus they'll have access to powerful mentors. But there's a catch. Teal Fellows are |
| 2:09.1 | expected to dedicate two years to the program, so they either have to skip college or drop out. |
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