TheBlock
Caroline Ellison has joined the AI safety nonprofit Manifund full-time as of August, according to cofounder Austin Chen, who announced the hire on Friday. Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research, began a work trial with the charity in July and is now publishing her work under the pseudonym "Carol."
The move comes roughly seven months after she was released early from a two-year federal sentence in January 2026. She had pleaded guilty in December 2022 to fraud and conspiracy charges tied to the 2022 collapse of FTX, which wiped out billions of dollars in customer funds. She cooperated with prosecutors and testified against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Why it matters
Manifund is an effective-altruism-aligned charity focused on artificial-intelligence safety projects. Chen framed the hire in explicitly redemptive language, saying Ellison "has admitted her faults, worked to make creditors whole, and served her time in prison." Ellison echoed the framing in her own post, saying she felt "very lucky not only to have a job, but to be working somewhere that I think is doing great work."
The hire lands at the intersection of two of crypto's most charged post-collapse questions: whether cooperation credit should translate into a clean second chance for executives at failed firms, and whether AI safety funding pipelines should be the venue for that second chance.
Market impact
The story is people-driven rather than price-driven. There is no token, exchange, or fund vehicle directly tied to Ellison's new role, and Manifund operates as a regrantor rather than a trading desk. The relevant read for crypto investors is reputational: an FTX-era figure now attached to an AI-safety funding pipeline that frequently channels institutional capital.
Watch whether other post-collapse executives follow a similar arc into the EA-aligned giving space, and whether creditor recoveries at FTX continue to track.
Frequently asked questions
-
What is Manifund, and what does it focus on?
Manifund is a nonprofit charity focused on artificial-intelligence safety and effective-altruism projects, operating as a regrantor that channels donations to aligned initiatives.
-
When did Caroline Ellison join Manifund?
Ellison started a work trial with Manifund in July and became full-time in August, according to cofounder Austin Chen, who announced the role publicly on Friday.
-
What crimes did Caroline Ellison plead guilty to?
Ellison pleaded guilty in December 2022 to fraud and conspiracy charges tied to the 2022 collapse of FTX, which wiped out billions of dollars in customer funds.
-
When was Caroline Ellison released from prison?
Ellison began serving a two-year federal sentence in November 2024 and was released early in January 2026, after cooperating with prosecutors against Sam Bankman-Fried.
-
How did Manifund's cofounder frame the hire?
Austin Chen said he believes in redemption and that Ellison "has admitted her faults, worked to make creditors whole, and served her time in prison," framing the role as a second chance.
CoinDesk
CoinTelegraph
WatcherGuru
CryptoSlate
WuBlockchain
Crypto Capital Venture
Crypto News