Ex-FTX COO Constance Wang says Netflix's The Altruists trailer upset her in 30 seconds
In brief
- Constance Wang, former FTX COO, said she stopped watching the Netflix trailer after 30 seconds.
- Caroline Ellison's portrayal didn't match Wang's personal experience, she said.
- Sam Bankman-Fried was more "socially awkward" than his Netflix portrayal, Wang said.
- The Altruists, an eight-episode series, premieres globally Nov. 19, 2026, per Netflix.
What Wang objected to
Her reaction came fast.
“The first 30 seconds were enough to upset me,” so “I stopped watching,” Wang told Cointelegraph
She said the trailer's depiction of some former FTX executives made her "feel physically upset," according to Cointelegraph's interview with Wang. The portrayal of Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison didn't match her personal experience, Wang said. And Sam Bankman-Fried (FTX's co-founder and former CEO) was more "socially awkward" than his Netflix portrayal, in her view.
That's her personal take on a trailer. The series itself hasn't premiered yet.
Netflix released the trailer for the eight-episode series in early October. The drama, titled The Altruists, is set to premiere globally on Nov. 19, 2026, according to Netflix's announcement as cited by Cointelegraph.
The collapse behind the show
FTX collapsed in November 2022 after customer funds were misappropriated, leaving an $8.9 billion shortfall in customer funds. Its sister company, quantitative trading firm Alameda Research, used FTX customer funds that Bankman-Fried transferred without consent to cover Alameda's trading losses.
Bankman-Fried and Ellison were indicted in December 2022. Ellison took a plea deal to testify against him and, per Cointelegraph, was released from prison in January after serving 440 days of a two-year sentence. Bankman-Fried was convicted on seven felony counts and sentenced in March 2024 to 25 years in prison, with a scheduled release in 2044.
His legal fight isn't over. In September, his lawyers reportedly asked the Supreme Court to overturn his fraud conviction, and Cointelegraph reported that he's also applied for a pardon from US President Donald Trump.
Wang's next act
Wang founded Pacifica in early 2025. It's a crypto trading platform that first launched as a Solana-based perpetual futures decentralized exchange, and she said she plans to add AI capabilities to turn it into an intelligent trading infrastructure with strategic tools for investors.
According to Wang, Pacifica hasn't raised outside money ("it's completely bootstrapped," as she put it). She added that some institutional investors faced compliance restrictions on speaking to former FTX personnel while the bankruptcy proceedings were ongoing.
