Against the Rules with Michael Lewis

I can listen to Michael Lewis talk to and about anyone and anything he’s interested in. The way his mind works out a question, how he gets his subjects to talk straight, his own curiosity and delight in discovery… he’s never not compelling. And the arc of all seasons as a whole is so satisfying. I try to save the episodes to binge on three at a time, and they are EVERGREEN. Bravo to Team ATR.

As someone who is overly familiar with courtrooms, and sometimes takes it for granted that others are as well, JL does an incredible job of describing things to people who aren’t and gives great insight into the intricacies and nuances of criminal courts and especially criminal Trials, from jurors nodding off to picking up on the spin both side’s lawyers are trying to put on things , it was very impressive and a great Listen. By the way, it’s not Lewis’ job to play the role of the SEC/FBI/Justive Department, and having sympathy for a person about to spend decades in prison doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you a person.

Only bummed I didn’t discover this sooner. Big Pushkin fan and even bigger M. Lewis fan. Absolutely loved the BTS and real life interviews and insights of such a game changing book. Didn’t know Liars Poker was such a big deal. I, too left a life of Wall Street for something else.

This review is specifically about Season 4, Judging Sam. It’s unfortunate that Lidia Jean is only credited as “court reporter” because honestly she did a fantastic job covering the trial, conveying both the facts but also the sentiment and nuance of the proceedings. They should have just made her the host and let her run with it. The weakest episodes were actually when Michael Lewis was in court, in which he took a “no facts, just vibes” approach to reporting.

I once loved this podcast. Michael Lewis and the team did a great job for three seasons. This fourth however is pretty much unlistenable. A decent portion of the blame falls on the new reporter whose voice is a challenge and writing weak, but also the overall composition of the whole season feels sloppy. Seems like Pushkin’s more focused on commercials than content these days.

I have listened to many, many white collar crime podcasts. I followed the story of Theranos from the very beginning. And as someone who is deeply familiar with this genre - don’t burn your time on this podcast. The main host/book author seems sympathetic to SBF in a way that hinders an objective reporting. For example, the host actually tried to say SBF borrowed and gambled customer money without permission which is not, apparently, the same thing as stealing. Which … interesting. Ultimately, this podcast sounds like a privileged man defending another privileged man as a quirky guy who just made some big mistakes. I’m not calling for SBF to be painted as some devil - he is a nuanced human like anyone else. But we live in a deeply hurting world where people are fighting to have basic rights, food, heating, safety. And there is something absolutely intolerable about hearing sympathetic arguments for a reckless billionaire whose companies destroyed the savings and livelihoods of so many people.