FTX and Alameda Research still causing the effective altruists problems

Last week, Protos reported that a philanthropic organization associated with the effective altruism movement, Manifund, had hired Caroline Ellison, providing the former CEO of Alameda Research her first major job opportunity since being released from prison.

However, the hire caused catastrophic fallout for the organization, and the CEO is now openly wondering if Ellison’s hiring could force it to shut down.

First, I'm grateful to @tenobrus for thinking that Manifund was doing good and useful work. (I'm not sure if Tenobrus realizes, but prior to Caroline joining, "people behind Manifund" was just me.)

And — yeah, in fact this might be lights out for Manifund. I hope it isn't. I…
— Austin Chen (@akrolsmir) September 12, 2026

Caroline Ellison’s hiring came with a dire warning

While Manifund CEO Austin Chen took to effective altruism forums to announce the hire as a positive move for the charity, he quickly admitted on X that bringing Ellison onto the team “could blow up quite badly.”

And it has.

As previously reported, many effective altruists were already speaking out against the hire, but now an important name in the movement has made a dire and comprehensive statement about the decision by Chen.

Manifund hires Caroline Ellison while fighting FTX over $1.5M

Manifund banned by CEA

The CEO of the Centre for Effective Altruism, Zachary Robinson, responded in an extensive post, stating that Ellison “hasn’t done the work” to earn back the trust of the community.”

He also claimed that Manifund “hasn’t earned the trust that it will be a responsible steward of the community,” and said, “CEA will be refraining from giving Manifund a platform through our programs for the foreseeable future, such as recruiting booths at our events.”

So, seemingly, with one poorly chosen hire, Manifund, a charity that explicitly focused on effective altruism causes, has been nixxed from a key community hub.

Got a tip? Send us an email securely via Protos Leaks. For more informed news and investigations, follow us on X, Bluesky, and Google News, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.