Caroline Ellison, who once served as the CEO of Alameda Research, returned to his position several months after being released from prison. Austin Chen, the founder of the charitable funding organization Manifund associated with the "Effective Altruism" movement, stated that Ellison has joined the organization, responsible for platform development and researching how to allocate charitable funds more effectively.
Trial job in July, full-time position in August.
Chen disclosed in their personal blog that Ellison was invited to participate in the Manifest 2026 event organized by that institution in June. Subsequently, they started a 'probationary period' on July 13th and became a full-time employee on August 10th.
He also mentioned that during the trial period, Ellison always published related work content under the pseudonym of Carol. Chen stated that this move indeed represented a compromise in terms of transparency, but he believes that it is not uncommon for individuals with highly public identities to collaborate under pseudonyms.
The appointment news has triggered divided reactions.
Chen described this appointment as an opportunity for Ellison to start over. He stated that Ellison has acknowledged her mistakes, has also assisted in compensating creditors as much as possible, and has completed her prison sentence, therefore he hopes she will be able to rejoin public affairs.
A statement published under the name of Ellison stated that she "deeply regrets" her past actions and understands why others are reluctant to work with her. However, she is grateful to Chen for being willing to judge her based on her current performance rather than her past experiences.
This arrangement has sparked significant disagreements in the public comment section. Some comments support giving those who have made mistakes a second chance, while others believe that this decision may damage the reputation of Manifund and related organizations. There are also individuals who claim to have suffered losses in the FTX incident and have publicly expressed their dissatisfaction.
Once convicted of the FTX fund misappropriation case
Ellison once managed Alameda Research, a related trading company of FTX. In December 2022, she pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and conspiracy related to the misappropriation of customer funds from FTX to cover debts and trading losses of Alameda.
Thereafter, she testified in court in the Sam Bankman - Fried case and was sentenced to two years in prison. In January of this year, she was released from the federal detention system and has since maintained a low-profile.
Additional information:Manifund was originally a charity project of the market forecasting company Manifold Markets. Chen also mentioned that Manifold once received support from FTX Future Fund in the past. Business Insider stated that Chen's appointment information has been confirmed via text message, but no relevant appointment documents were provided.
