Sam Bankman-Fried says he'll speak at New York conference

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who's mostly kept to making statements on Twitter amid the collapse of the crypto exchange he once ran, said he'd be speaking with New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin at the Nov. 30 DealBook Summit in New York.

"I’ll be speaking with @andrewrsorkin at the @dealbook summit next Wednesday (11/30)," he wrote on Twitter. 

While he had previously been scheduled to appear at the event, speculation has mounted about his whereabouts and potential travel plans as he faces scrutiny in the U.S. and abroad.

Bankman-Fried didn't specify whether he'd be attending the event in person or conducting the interview via video conference.

"At this time, we expect Mr. Bankman-Fried will be participating in the interview from the Bahamas,” a New York Times spokesperson said in an emailed response to questions from The Block.

The conference lineup, which highlights "top business and policy leaders on a single stage," was unveiled on Oct. 18, weeks before FTX's troubles became international news. Other scheduled attendees include Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The tweet promoted a harsh response from Twitter users, many of whom questioned the legality of a potential appearance. 

In a Tuesday letter, Bankman-Fried apologized to former colleagues and explained why the crypto exchange failed.

"I never intended this to happen," he wrote.

Update: This story has been updated with comment from a New York Times spokesperson in 5th paragraph.