How Larry David's Crypto Commercial Became an Accidental Prophecy

In what may be the most ironic moment in recent tech industry history, a Super Bowl advertisement featuring comedian Larry David ended up being eerily prescient about one of crypto’s biggest scandals. The commercial, which David created for Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX cryptocurrency platform, portrayed the comedian dismissing various historical innovations—only to culminate in his rejection of crypto itself. What seemed like clever satire at the time would prove disturbingly accurate within months.

The Advertisement That Nobody Should Have Followed

David’s role in the commercial was deliberately skeptical. The spot showed him encountering a parade of innovations throughout history—the wheel, the fork, the toilet, coffee—and dismissing each one with characteristic disdain. When presented with FTX as “a safe and easy way to get into crypto,” David’s character responded with the same dismissive attitude: “Eh, I don’t think so, and I’m never wrong about this stuff. Never.”

The message displayed onscreen reinforced the joke’s direction: “DON’T BE LIKE LARRY.”

The premise was designed to mock skepticism about crypto adoption. Instead, it would become an unintended warning. When asked recently about his involvement in the commercial, David displayed self-deprecating humor about his decision-making. “I asked people, friends of mine who were well-versed in this stuff, ‘Should I do this ad?’” he explained. “They said, ‘Yeah, this is totally on the up and up,’ … So, like an idiot, I did it.”

When Reality Proved the Skeptic Right

The timeline that followed validated David’s on-screen skepticism in the most troubling way possible. Just months after the Super Bowl commercial aired, FTX collapsed spectacularly. The cryptocurrency exchange that had seemed destined to become a mainstream financial gateway instead became synonymous with one of crypto’s greatest catastrophes.

In November 2022, FTX essentially imploded. Users found themselves unable to withdraw their funds as the platform fell apart. When the bankruptcy filing came nine days after a CoinDesk investigation revealed serious concerns about the company’s financial structures, the situation froze customer assets even further. The chain of events that unfolded demonstrated just how precarious the exchange’s foundation had been.

Legal Reckoning and Convictions

The consequences for Sam Bankman-Fried, the exchange’s founder, came swiftly. In November 2023, roughly a year after FTX’s collapse, Bankman-Fried was convicted of stealing billions of dollars from customers. The conviction marked a watershed moment for crypto regulation and criminal accountability in the industry. What had been promoted as a trustworthy platform turned out to be built on fraud and misappropriation.

A Glimmer of Hope: Repayment Plans

Despite the catastrophic collapse, there has been one positive development in the aftermath. The FTX bankruptcy estate announced that it expects to fully repay customers their lost funds. This outcome, while important for victims, came after years of uncertainty about whether they would recover anything from their investments.

For David personally, the experience proved costly in ways that extended beyond the reputational damage of having endorsed a failed platform. “Part of my salary was in crypto, so I lost a lot of money,” he revealed in recent interviews. His financial stake in FTX meant that the comedian wasn’t merely associated with a failed venture—he was a financial casualty of it.

The Broader Lesson

The Larry David crypto commercial ultimately became a case study in how good instincts can be overruled by well-meaning advice in an industry still finding its footing. What began as a high-profile advertisement for a major cryptocurrency exchange transformed into an emblem of the sector’s credibility challenges. The comedian’s on-screen skepticism, which was meant to be mocked, ended up reflecting a more grounded assessment of the risks involved in the crypto space at that time.

David’s experience serves as a reminder that even experienced professionals can be caught off-guard by emerging technologies and the personalities behind them—and that sometimes, the skeptical take deserves more consideration than conventional wisdom suggests.