Caroline Ellison has joined Manifund as a full-time employee starting August 10, working on the funding platform under the pseudonym "Carol" since July 13. Manifund's founder Austin explains his decision to hire her based on her financial expertise, her admission of wrongdoing and prison time following FTX's collapse, and his belief in redemption and her capability to contribute meaningfully.
Austin Chen, founder of Manifund, a nonprofit grantmaker tied to effective altruism, announced he hired Caroline Ellison, who served prison time for fraud connected to Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX collapse. Ellison, 31, will work on the platform and philanthropic research after being released from federal custody in January; Chen framed the decision as giving her a second chance despite public backlash from some commenters and FTX victims.