> FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried is another example. His disheveled, messy geek look was calculated, and in an interview after FTX’s collapse he basically admitted tha

> FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried is another example. His disheveled, messy geek look was calculated, and in an interview after FTX’s collapse he basically admitted that some of his opinions and philosophies that he espoused before were BS to push a specific narrative. > Musk has repeated “free speech” enough times that it’s become part of his brand. And people will associate that with him regardless of what he actually does. The models here are the guru/savior/grifter, which encompasses and goes beyond just "brand". Why don't the followers see the contradictions in what the guru says and does? Some of them are truly deluded, but a whole lot of them understand it just fine and just want to see if they can get in on the action.