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Crypto and AI Bigwigs' Spotify Playlists Revealed, Apparently SBF Is a Fan of Coldplay

Tech pioneers, including Brian Armstrong, Sam Bankman-Fried, Sam Altman, and numerous others, have experienced a breach of privacy with their Spotify accounts exposed.

Crypto and AI titans' Spotify playlists reveal Sam Bankman-Fried's fondness for Coldplay
Crypto and AI titans' Spotify playlists reveal Sam Bankman-Fried's fondness for Coldplay

Crypto and AI Bigwigs' Spotify Playlists Revealed, Apparently SBF Is a Fan of Coldplay

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In an intriguing turn of events, an anonymous individual or group has been quietly scraping public Spotify accounts of politicians, tech CEOs, celebrities, and journalists since summer 2024. The goal is to expose the lax privacy policies of Spotify by revealing how the streaming service allows the public to access detailed music listening data of prominent people, despite the expectation of privacy. The project, named "Panama Playlists," is a deliberate reference to the Panama Papers leak, aiming to uncover hidden or sensitive information in the public interest.

The Panama Playlists have revealed entertaining insights into the music preferences of the elite, such as Garry Tan, CEO of tech startup accelerator Y Combinator, who has Alice Phoebe Lou's song Witches as his most-played song. Meanwhile, Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, has a Repeat playlist consisting mostly of numbers from the musical Hamilton and a trance tune repeated 60 times. Ilya Sutskever, former OpenAI chief scientist, prefers Eminem, Metallica, and TOOL, while Sam Bankman-Fried's loud playlist features upbeat songs like Mr. Brightside by The Killers, Stronger by Kanye West, and Not Afraid by Eminem.

Sam Bankman-Fried and Sam Altman, both tech leaders, also have playlists on the Panama Playlists, featuring songs by Coldplay and Missy Elliott respectively. Marc Andressen, an early investor in Truth Terminal, has playlists called "Go The Fuck To Sleep" and "Focus Alpha." Meta chief AI scientist Yann LeCun's playlists include bossa nova legend Antonio Carlos Jobim and American jazz artist Wayne Shorter.

Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey has confirmed that his playlist on the Panama Playlists is real, and he has a strong affinity for Kelly Clarkson's music. Nikita Bier, head of product at X and advisor to Solana Labs, has a summer playlist that includes songs from house duo Disclosure, jazz-funk icon Roy Ayers, and electronic DJ Jamie XX.

The leak does not involve hacking or illegal data breaches; instead, it exploits Spotify's default setting of making playlists public and users' apparent lack of awareness about these privacy settings. In response to the leak, Brian Armstrong tweeted that his Repeat playlist helps him do deep focused work. Armstrong's morning playlist features Whitney Houston and the same trance track from his Repeat playlist.

The site claims to have real Spotify accounts of these individuals, with some individuals even having a setting that displays their last played song. The last track added to Sam Bankman-Fried's loud playlist was Save Your Tears by The Weeknd in late 2021. Sam Altman's Shazam playlist includes songs like Get Ur Freak On by Missy Elliott, Make You Feel My Love by Adele, and a variety of other hits, classics, and dance tunes.

However, the Panama Playlists project has sparked discussion about data protection at Spotify. Several individuals included in the leak have confirmed the authenticity of their playlists, indicating the data is genuine and publicly available but not widely known to be accessible. The site's creator, who remains anonymous, explained in an interview with the New York Post how they identified real-life identities behind the Spotify accounts using detective work.

Notably, Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison in March 2024, following his arrest in late 2022. His "soft" playlist on the Panama Playlists includes songs like Yellow by Coldplay, Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's, Bad Religion by Frank Ocean, and No Surprises by Radiohead. Many people on Twitter have commented that there is a repeat button for the trance track on Armstrong's Repeat playlist.

As the Panama Playlists continue to reveal the music preferences of the elite, the project underscores the importance of data privacy and the need for individuals and companies to be more aware of their privacy settings on public platforms.

  1. Despite the sentence regarding Sam Bankman-Fried's imprisonment, the Panama Playlists have unveiled his affection for Coldplay's song Yellow on his "soft" playlist.
  2. The creators of the Panama Playlists utilize social-media platforms like Twitter to engage in discussions surrounding data protection at Spotify.
  3. In a surprising turn, the crypto-enthusiast Sam Bankman-Fried has a 25-year-long sentence, but his love for Eminem's Not Afraid remains evident from his playlist.
  4. The BTC and crypto-related figures appear to value their cryptocurrency wallets less than their Spotify playlists, as seen with ICO pioneers like Sam Bankman-Fried and Sam Altman.
  5. In the realm of entertainment, celebrities like Palmer Luckey and Nikita Bier have shown their preference for Shazam, with Luckey having a penchant for Kelly Clarkson's music and Bier, house duo Disclosure.
  6. The unauthorized release of political figures', tech leaders', and celebrities' music preferences highlights the need for better understanding and usage of cryptocurrency wallets, privacy settings, and social-media platforms like Spotify.

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