Sam Bankman-Fried posts on X, says firing people is the “hardest thing in the world”

• Bankman-Fried expressed his sympathy for government employees who have lost their jobs
• His parents are working to get him a presidential pardon from Donald Trump
• Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison last March for his involvement in FTX’s collapse

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has posted on social media for the first time in two years, stating that “firing people is one of the hardest things to do in the world.”

In a series of posts on X, Bankman-Fried expressed sympathy for government employees who have lost their jobs. His comments come as US President Donald Trump’s administration has laid off or put staff on leave.

Bankman-Fried said:

“I have a lot of sympathy for gov’t employees: I, too, have not checked my email for the past few (hundred) days. And I can confirm that being unemployed is a lot less relaxing than it looks.”

Bankman-Fried, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison last March for his involvement in the FTX collapse, went on to say that firing people is one of the hardest things in the world. In his experience, it’s usually not the employee’s fault that they were fired, but it’s often the best path to take.

“I’d tell this to everyone we let go: that it was as much our fault for not having the right role for them, or the right person to manage them, or the right work environment for them,” he said.

4) I’d tell this to everyone we let go: that it was as much our fault for not having the right role for them, or the right person to manage them, or the right work environment for them.

— SBF (@SBF_FTX) February 25, 2025

Seeking a presidential pardon

Bankman-Fried’s posts come as his parents are seeking to get their son a presidential pardon from Trump.

In January, it was reported that Stanford law professors Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried had met with lawyers and members of Trump’s administration. The pair are hoping to receive clemency for Bankman-Fried.

Given Trump’s pardoning of Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht – who served 12 years in prison – several days after entering the White House, Bankman-Fried’s parents are hoping for similar success.

Bankman-Fried previously called his sentence “draconian” despite FTX customers having recovered most of their money. In December, it was reported that the crypto exchange would begin repaying customers in early January.

Gary Wang, FTX co-founder, avoided a prison sentence in November with Judge Lewis Kaplan sentencing him to time served. Nishad Singh, an ex-FTX executive, also avoided a prison sentence.

However, Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research – the sister company to FTX – received a 24-month prison sentence in September.