Finance & economics | The bitcom boom

Will the craze for crypto startups ever produce the next tech giant?

As big investors weigh in, valuations are reaching the stratosphere

THE HONG KONG office of FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange, is a place where basic needs come second to business. Food and booze lie around desks fitted with six screens each. Sam Bankman-Fried, its boss, says he sleeps four hours a night on a bean bag next to his desk—if he’s lucky. He sees little difference between breakfast and dinner, apart from “which restaurants are open for delivery”.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “The bitcom boom”

Putin’s new era of repression

From the November 13th 2021 edition

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With the dollar faltering, European policymakers have an opportunity

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Even though they normally like a weaker greenback