Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud (with Ben McKenzie)

Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer

Civic Ventures

Business, Government, News, Politics

4.8 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 11 November 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Actor and author Ben McKenzie didn’t set out to become one of crypto’s fiercest critics—but when the pandemic hit and Hollywood shut down, his curiosity turned into a full-blown investigation. The result was the bestselling book, Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud, a blistering exposé of the crypto craze as “casino capitalism” at its dumbest. In this episode, McKenzie joins Nick and Goldy to explain how the industry turned hype and libertarian fantasy into a trillion-dollar bubble, why the true believers won’t let go, and how fake “innovation” and corporate lobbying are putting the entire financial system at risk. They dig into the cult psychology of crypto, the rise of legalized gambling as an addiction economy, and why letting corporations issue their own “money” could end in disaster. Ben McKenzie is an actor, author, and director best known for his roles on The O.C., Southland, and Gotham. He holds a degree in economics and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia. McKenzie has become one of the most prominent critics of the cryptocurrency industry, co-authoring the book Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud with journalist Jacob Silverman. The premiere of Everyone is Lying to You For Money is on Sunday, November 16, 2025, in New York City. Get tickets at DOCNYC.net. Social Media: @benmckenzie.bsky.social mrbenmckenzie @ben_mckenzie Further reading: Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud When Prophecy Fails Mistakes Were Made (but Not By Me) New York Magazine: ⁠Congress Just Injected Crypto Directly Into the Most Stable Part of the Economy What could go wrong? Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Threads: pitchforkeconomics Bluesky: @pitchforkeconomics.bsky.social Twitter: @PitchforkEcon, @NickHanauer YouTube: @pitchforkeconomics LinkedIn: Pitchfork Economics Substack: ⁠The Pitch⁠

Transcript

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0:00.0	The rising inequality and growing political instability that we see today are the direct result of decades of bad economic theory.
0:10.6	The last five decades of trickle-down economics haven't worked.
0:14.8	But what's the alternative?
0:16.3	Middle-out economics is the answer.
0:18.6	Because the middle class is the source of growth, not its consequence.
0:23.1	That's right.
0:28.7	This is pitchfork economics with Nick Hanauer, a podcast about how to build the economy from the middle out.
0:36.9	Welcome to the show.
0:42.6	Goldie, this week we're talking to an actor.
0:45.3	We don't usually do that.
0:47.0	No, we don't.
0:47.8	I think this may be our first actor ever.
0:52.6	I think a lot of our guests, especially the politicians, are actors at heart.
0:56.6	That's true.
0:57.0	That's true.
0:57.5	That's true.
0:58.2	Yeah.
0:58.3	But this is an actual professional actor you've seen on TV, Ben McKenzie.
1:04.8	You might know him from his roles on the O.C., Southland or Gotham.
1:15.7	He's an actor and a writer. Also, apparently, we learned he's directing a film that'll be coming out shortly. And he is also the co-author of the book,
1:23.1	Easy Money, Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the golden age of fraud with journalists
1:30.7	Jacob Silverman.
	...

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