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Crypto community reacts to Barbie star saying Bitcoin talk exudes Ken energy

Michael Saylor, Layah Heilpern and Girl Gone Crypto were among those in the crypto community that took an interest in what Australian actress Margot Robbie had to say about Bitcoin.

Australian actress Margot Robbie, who is playing the lead in the new Barbie movie, has caused quite a stir within the crypto community after stating that simply talking about Bitcoin (BTC) gives off Ken vibes.

In the last 24 hours, the crypto community on Twitter, including Microstrategy's Michael Saylor and social media influencer Layah Heilpern, showed a mixed response to Robbie’s statement about Bitcoin that she made in an interview with Fandango on June 22.

Robbie revealed that every time she overheard her husband Tom Ackerley and television producer David Heymen discussing Bitcoin on set, it brought to mind the traits of Ken, the fictional co-star character in Barbie, portrayed by Ryan Gosling. 

“When David and Tom would start talking about Bitcoin or something, Gretta and I would be like you’re being such Kens!”

Along with Saylor declaring that Bitcoin is in fact “Big Ken Energy,” several other prominent figures in the crypto industry shared their thoughts on Robbie's comment.

Related: Bitcoin spending copies history as metric flags ‘1st stage bull market’

Crypto influencer Lea Thompson, better known to her 225,000 Twitter followers as Girl Gone Crypto, stated that she is “so bullish” after hearing Robbie’s comments on Bitcoin.

Meanwhile, Layah Heilpern perceived Robbie's comments differently, suggesting that she interpreted it as an insult towards men who talk about Bitcoin.

Heilpern explained to her 621,400 Twitter followers on July 30 that Robbie was implying that male Bitcoin enthusiasts are “weak and pathetic.”

However, a United States psychologist indicates that having “Ken energy” could be a sign of someone who is selfless and has the ability to adapt to different situations.

Dr Mark Travers, lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, stated in a July 13 Forbes report, that the character of Ken challenges traditional gender stereotypes.

“In a universe which revolves around Barbie, Ken has only a supportive role to play, and he plays it gladly” Travers stated, adding:

“Barbie is and comes before everything, we see male counterpart Ken relegated to the uni-dimensional and purely aesthetic role that women have often been confined to in the past, in a flippant and parody-like manner.”

Robbie stated in the interview that it is hard to define what makes a Ken, or what gives off Ken energy, as it can be subjective. 

“It is not something you can define; it is just something you can sense” Robbie stated.

With a sense of optimism, Steven Lubka, a managing director at Swan Bitcoin, perceived Robbie's comment as a positive for the crypto community. 

Lubka told his 20,200 Twitter followers on July 29 that "we are so back."

Robbie's comments on Bitcoin were brief and neutral, taking place at a time when there are ongoing legal actions against celebrities who have promoted crypto recently.

Most recently, NBA Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler sought to be removed from the $1 billion class-action lawsuit alleging the promotion of unregistered securities by cryptocurrency exchange Binance.

In a July 24 filing, Butler's lawyers argued that the tweets he appeared in did not promote the named securities, and therefore could not have helped promote them. 

Binance CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, along with Youtubers Ben Armstrong (BitBoy Crypto) and Graham Stephan, are also challenging similiar allegations in the same lawsuit.

Magazine: Crypto winter can take a toll on hodlers’ mental health

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Crypto Influencer Bitboy Flies to the Bahamas to Question Former FTX Exec Sam Bankman-Fried

Crypto Influencer Bitboy Flies to the Bahamas to Question Former FTX Exec Sam Bankman-FriedIt’s been 16 days since FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. and the former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) is allegedly still hunkering down at his seaside resort in the Bahamas. This weekend, the Youtuber known as Bitboy decided to fly down to Nassau in order to question SBF about the […]

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Sam Bankman-Fried still speaking at events and the community is furious

The former FTX CEO said he will be speaking at a conference by The New York Times, the same outfit that wrote the recent "puff piece" on Bankman-Fried.

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has once again attracted the ire of the crypto community — this time over his slated appearance at an upcoming New York City conference on November 30. 

Vocal members of Crypto Twitter have questioned why the former CEO of the now-bankrupt exchange continues to walk free given the events over the last month.

In a Nov. 23 Twitter post, Bankman-Fried announced he will be speaking with The New York Times journalist Andrew Sorkin at the DealBook Summit “next Wednesday.”

The news was confirmed publicly by Sorkin, who said: “There are a lot of important questions to be asked and answered. Nothing is off limits.”

In the wake of the FTX collapse, some in the community had wondered whether Bankman-Fried would honor his conference engagements, including his one at the DealBook Summit.

A spokesperson for The New York Times confirmed to Cointelegraph that Bankman-Fried was invited to its DealBook Summit several months ago — well before the FTX crash — and that he’d likely be participating in the interview virtually from the Bahamas, stating: 

"We invited Mr. Bankman-Fried to be interviewed at the Summit several months ago. At this time, we expect Mr. Bankman-Fried will be participating in the interview from the Bahamas."

According to a Gawker report dated Nov. 11, Bankman-Fried was previously listed on the speaker page as "C.E.O, FTX." However, the speaker page now shows his title has since been updated to "Founder, FTX," — reflecting his resignation from the role since FTX's bankruptcy filing. 

Sam Bankman-Fried listed at the top of the speakers page of the DealBook Summit. Source: The New York Times

Crypto Twitter responds

Some members of the crypto community have not taken the news well, with remarks that Bankman-Fried should be in custody instead of speaking freely at conferences.

U.S. Attorney John Deaton and founder of Crypto Law remarked to his 229,300 Twitter followers that if U.S. law enforcement doesn’t arrest and charge Bankman-Fried — who’s currently situated in the Bahamas — for fraud and theft offenses if he enters the U.S. next week, then the justice system “has been compromised.”

British media personality and Bitcoin proponent Layah Heilpern told her 328,200 Twitter followers that “it’s disgusting” that Bankman-Fried will be speaking on stage and instead isn’t being held in custody.

Ryan Adams, founder of investment firm Mythos Capital and Bankless took things one step further in comparing the arrest and three-month-long detainment of Alexey Pertsev — the core developer behind the now U.S. sanctioned Tornado Cash — to Bankman-Fried’s unfathomable conduct, which is yet to be investigated.

Meanwhile, chairman of Real Bedford FC and Bitcoin proponent Peter McCormack joked that Bankman-Fried would receive “a Nobel Prize at this rate.”

Related: Will SBF face consequences for mismanaging FTX? Don’t count on it

The New York Times was recently criticized by the crypto community for writing a "puff piece on SBF," which appeared to only brush over Bankman-Fried alleged fraud and crimes, and instead focused on whether he was getting enough sleep

As for Bankman-Fried’s current whereabouts, Crypto Crib posted pictures to its 66,900 Twitter followers late on Nov. 23 of what appears to be Bankman-Fried eating a meal with his mother and several others at his Bahamas penthouse.

On Nov. 23, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Merrick’s assistant Kenneth Polite and U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse requested for the U.S. Department of Justice to launch a full-scale investigation into Bankman-Fried and other FTX executive’s roles in the collapse of FTX.

Update 2:30am UTC Nov. 24: Added a statement from a spokesperson at The New York Times.

Back to extreme greed past $65K? 5 things to know in Bitcoin this week