Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), once a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency industry, experienced a swift downfall. However, as the outside world re-examines his early investment portfolio, an intriguing fact has emerged: if some of his key holdings had not been seized and liquidated due to legal issues, their potential total value could have exceeded $80 billion. This " untapped wealth " has become one of the most dramatic missed opportunities in fintech history.
AI betting boom: Anthropic's stock holdings have astonishing potential value.
Among its numerous investments, SBF's early-stage investment in the AI startup Anthropic is the most noteworthy. SBF invested approximately $500 million in the company. As generative AI technology rapidly rises, Anthropic's position in the industry has grown accordingly.
If SBF retains control of these shares, their value could reach as high as $70 billion based on current market valuations. This also demonstrates SBF's remarkable foresight in judging technological trends.
Betting on the public blockchain wave: SOL investment surged at one point.
In addition to his AI ventures, SBF also has a well-defined presence in the crypto asset market. He once bought approximately $60 million worth of tokens when the price of Solana (SOL) was around $8.
As Solana emerged as one of the leading high-performance public blockchains and was seen as a significant competitor to Ethereum, the price of SOL surged. At its peak, the holding was worth approximately $2.1 billion, demonstrating its successful positioning in the early stages of the public blockchain ecosystem's rise.
Deploying new public blockchains and fintech: Mysten Labs and Robinhood
SBF also invested approximately $100 million in Mysten Labs, the development team behind the Sui blockchain. As Layer-1 protocols continue to attract funding and developers, that investment is now valued at over $800 million.
In addition, he holds approximately 7.5% of the U.S. retail trading platform Robinhood. This stake was acquired during a period of market turmoil for the company. As Robinhood expanded into cryptocurrency trading and benefited from the stock market recovery, this stake is now valued at approximately $10 billion.
Success lies in foresight, failure lies in risk management
Based on comprehensive calculations, if none of the aforementioned holdings are seized or liquidated, their potential total value could exceed $80 billion. This means that SBF originally had the opportunity to transform from a short-lived crypto upstart into a long-term financial giant spanning AI and blockchain.
However, following FTX's collapse in 2022, SBF was convicted of misappropriating client funds for high-risk trading and investments, and his assets were seized by authorities. It is widely believed that his failure stemmed not from choosing the wrong targets, but from a complete breakdown in risk management and compliance.
