Sam Bankman-Fried’s Psychiatrist Hired At FTX To Counsel Employees

FTX, a prominent crypto exchange based in the Bahamas, hired Dr. George Lerner as an in-house coach and counselor for its employees.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Lerner offered employees advice and counseling sessions in “coaching” sessions, serving not as a medical professional, but as a coach.

He focused on creating a sustainable work environment at the company and dealt with conflict resolution and other workplace issues. Some employees at FTX welcomed Lerner, but others felt he was too close to the CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried.

In the report, Lerner stated that he was concerned about the employees’ happiness at FTX, as they were brilliant and driven individuals who wanted to make a positive impact on the world.

He also mentioned that conflict resolution was one of the toughest challenges he faced while working at the company, as he had primarily worked with individuals in the past.

However, despite these challenges, Lerner made an effort to help employees at risk of suicide, and helped facilitate dating opportunities for them, as he was concerned about the lack of dating opportunities outside of a big city and the potential for employees to leave the company due to this.

However, not all employees had positive experiences with Lerner.

In a December Twitter thread, former FTX employee Dani Cloud accused Lerner of being a means for employees to obtain drugs, and wrote, “In true FTX tradition, the shrink’s experience consists of befriending the Bankman-Fried household a decade prior and the ability to be a bridge between affluent kids and their insatiable amphetamine dependency.”

Following the collapse of FTX and the charges of fraud against Bankman-Fried, Lerner has now shifted his focus to rebuilding his private practice. His communications with Bankman-Fried have been subpoenaed, but he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

The hiring of Dr. George Lerner by FTX highlights the importance of psychological support for employees in the tech industry, but also raises questions about the ethics of having a personal psychologist for a CEO also serving as an in-house coach for employees.