Caroline Ellison, the former chief executive of Alameda Research, has joined Manifund, an AI safety and effective altruism charity, in her first disclosed formal job since leaving prison. She will work on the group’s fundraising platform and help strengthen its public-interest projects and charitable impact.
Manifund says Ellison has already been working there for months
Manifund co-founder Austin Chen said in a Sept. 11 post that Ellison had accepted a full-time role. Her work is split across two areas: developing Manifund’s fundraising platform and improving the organization’s public-interest projects and charitable reach.
According to Manifund’s explanation, Ellison was not a brand-new hire at the time of the announcement. She began contributing in July this year on a trial basis and moved into a full-time role in August. During that period, she published under the pen name "Carol," and her real identity was only disclosed publicly this week.
Ellison says she is grateful for a second chance
In the announcement, Ellison said: "I’m very grateful to Austin for giving me a second chance and judging me based on the work I’m doing now rather than on the past. I’m very lucky not only to have found a job, but to be working somewhere that I believe is doing meaningful work and pursuing a mission I identify with."
Chen also addressed the reasoning behind the hire directly. He said: "I believe she can redeem herself. Caroline has admitted what she did wrong, worked to help creditors get compensated, and served her sentence. I want to give her a chance to give back to society, and I hope others can agree."
FTX case timeline remains central to her return
The report ties Ellison’s current position to the timeline of the FTX collapse:
- December 2022: Ellison pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges linked to the billions of dollars in customer losses tied to FTX’s failure.
- 2023: She cooperated with prosecutors and testified during the trial of FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who was later sentenced to 25 years in prison.
- November 2024: Ellison began serving a 2-year prison sentence.
- January 2026: She was released early because of her contribution to the investigation.
By that timeline, nearly four years passed between the collapse of FTX and Ellison’s reentry into public life.
The hiring decision is likely to draw split reactions
The report says the decision is likely to trigger sharply different responses in the crypto community. Supporters may argue that Ellison has already paid a price through her guilty plea, cooperation, testimony, prison term, and early release, and that she should be given a chance to rebuild. Critics may say it is too soon for her to step back into a public-facing role while FTX victims have still not been fully compensated.
The article also contrasts Ellison’s situation with that of Sam Bankman-Fried. He was sentenced to 25 years, remains in prison, and his appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court has not overturned that outcome. Ellison, by contrast, received a lighter sentence through cooperation and has now found an organization willing to employ her again.
According to BlockTempo, if Manifund can show that Ellison’s work produces a measurable positive public benefit, the path of admitting wrongdoing, serving time, giving back, and returning to society could become a reference point for future figures caught up in crypto scandals.