Robinhood investment increased sevenfold! He could have been the Buffett of the crypto world: Why is SBF's investment vision so surprising and regrettable?

Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) was once seen as a genius in the cryptocurrency industry. Not only did he found FTX, but he also demonstrated exceptional investment judgment by early positioning in key assets like Solana, Robinhood, and Anthropic. If he had not made the fatal strategic mistake of using customer funds to rescue his company Alameda, he might have been at the top of the world's wealth rankings today. This article will review the crypto myth of missing out on billions in assets, starting from his remarkable investment insight.

Capturing Emerging Assets: Solana, Anthropic, SUI's Astonishing Growth Potential

SBF's sense of emerging technology and blockchain was ahead of the market. He not only invested early in the Solana blockchain but also bet on AI startup Anthropic and the emerging public chain token SUI. These assets have shown impressive market performance in the past two years, demonstrating SBF's ability to "bet on the right horse".

According to analyst Will Clemente III's analysis on X, if these holdings were completely preserved and not seized or liquidated, SBF's book assets might have exceeded billions of dollars. Solana's price rebounded strongly after a sharp drop in 2022, while Anthropic's valuation was rapidly pushed up by the AI boom, both confirming his investment foresight.

Precise Move: Robinhood Investment Multiplied Seven Times

The most jaw-dropping case is SBF's investment of $648 million in 56.27 million Robinhood shares in 2022, at a price of $11.52 per share. Now, Robinhood's stock price has risen to $82.18, making this investment worth about $4.6 billion, with a return of seven times. Even though these stocks were later seized by the US Department of Justice and repurchased by Robinhood, analysts still consider this one of the most strategically insightful equity layouts in the crypto world in recent years.

Where Did Investment Funds Come From? The Reality Behind the Controversy

Of course, SBF's investment story also involves controversy. According to FTX bankruptcy data from 2022 and subsequent media reports, including CNBC and journalist Laura Shin, SBF used FTX customer deposits to cover Alameda Research's losses, indirectly funding these high-return investments. Legal and moral controversies have gradually dimmed the glory of his investment achievements.

If He Had Followed the Right Path, He Could Have Become an Investment Legend

Despite the controversies, it is undeniable that SBF's investment strategy was visionary. His willingness to heavily invest in high-risk early-stage Robinhood, Solana, and AI domains showed a judgment completely different from mainstream market thinking. Some community members even pointed out that he could have potentially earned hundreds of millions from the AI startup Cursor, if everything had been done legally.

Analyst Will Clemente noted that if SBF had been willing to let Alameda fail and not use FTX customer funds, he might today be a financially free industry hero with an excellent reputation.

Sam Bankman-Fried's story is a complex lesson in investment and risk management. His insight was undoubtedly precise, identifying future trends and high-growth targets, but it was the improper source of funds and moral imbalance that made these successes dim.

Today, these assets have mostly been liquidated or transferred to FTX creditors. SBF is serving a 25-year prison sentence and faces a $11 billion forfeiture. He might have had the potential to become the "Crypto Buffett", but ultimately became the protagonist of the "most expensive lesson" due to wrong choices.