What Quadriga Really Was: 3 Theories About Gerald Cotten - Ep.102

Writer Nathaniel Rich discusses his recent long-form Vanity Fair article diving into what really happened with the Quadriga exchange debacle, what Gerald Cotten’s past really was, his relationship to his business partner Michael Patryn and who Patryn really was. He talks about their history with so-called high-yield investment programs, their falling out at Quadriga, what Cotten really did with the funds on the exchange, and the three main theories for what Cotten did, including a scam that ended in death, what Rich calls the “royal fuckup” and the final one, the Mastermind Theory. 

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Episode links: 

Nathaniel Rich: https://twitter.com/NathanielRich

Vanity Fair article: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/11/the-strange-tale-of-quadriga-gerald-cotten

Bloomberg on Michael Patryn’s identity: 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-19/from-fraud-to-fintech-quadriga-co-founder-s-past-crimes-emerge

Weekly news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/unicorns-rainbows-and-north-korea/