Behind the Bastards
Part Three: How Jeffrey Epstein Helped Build the Modern World
Released: February 24, 2026 | Host: Robert Evans | Guests: Andrew Ti, Sophie
Episode Overview
In the third installment of the Jeffrey Epstein series, host Robert Evans—with guests Andrew Ti and producer Sophie—delve into new revelations from the recently released Epstein Files. This episode shifts focus from Epstein’s personal sex crimes to his wider influence on world events: his efforts to reshape global financial systems (notably through cryptocurrency), the surprising scope of his ties in academia and tech, his hands-on involvement in early internet culture, and the extent to which he seeded right-wing and fascist movements online and off. The hosts dissect newly uncovered emails and relationships, revealing not only Epstein's desire to disrupt the status quo but the alarming complicity or naivete of elites across tech, academia, and media.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Epstein’s Geopolitical Ambitions: Bitcoin and Putin (04:14–11:18)
- Epstein attempts to broker a meeting with Vladimir Putin via Thorbjorn Jaglund, ex-PM of Norway, to pitch Russia on adopting Bitcoin.
- Epstein positions Bitcoin as the “Sputnik of the 21st century,” suggesting Russia could leapfrog the West by reinventing finance (06:22).
- The crew riffs on Epstein’s embarrassing attempts to sound impressive to Putin and how his rare good spelling in emails signals high personal stakes.
- Andrew Ti: “I genuinely have to say, it is a little heartening slash disheartening that these people genuinely believe their bullshit. Like, this was a private conversation.” (06:51)
- Epstein’s bid with Putin failed: “Putin, showing better judgment than anyone else in these four episodes, declined to meet with Jeffrey Epstein, at least as far as we know.” (10:42)
2. Crypto, MIT, and the Academia Pipeline (17:58–24:26)
- MIT and JOI Ito’s deep ties to Epstein: Epstein donated at least $850,000 (2002–2017) and helped fund key MIT crypto projects, including the salaries of several Bitcoin devs. This support continued well after Epstein's 2008 conviction.
- MIT professors visited Epstein’s island—even while he was in jail; there were thanks from MIT’s president. Robert highlights the seriousness of academia’s willingness to ignore sex crimes for funding.
- Andrew Ti: “It’s also like... 850k is a lot of money, but for MIT? What is its endowment? ...I am a little surprised at the actual price tag.” (21:37)
- “It shows you how little it really takes to bribe a lot of very influential people to change the world. You know, it’s less than you want it to be.” (22:37)
- Epstein’s interest in disrupting the global financial order: He pitches to Richard Branson and others a “social good currency” for worldwide use (11:18–12:39).
- Branson reciprocates by inviting Epstein to his private island, with a disturbing reference to Epstein’s “harem” (16:23–16:36).
- Robert: “If you're Jeffrey Epstein’s friend at this point and inviting him to islands, I consider you guilty of everything he was.” (17:39)
3. Crypto & Tech Bro Connections: Peter Thiel, Brock Pierce, Layer One (24:54–33:59)
- Epstein's reach into cryptocurrency development: He’s emailing Peter Thiel and providing regulatory tips—exhibiting early, influential involvement in crypto’s growth.
- Epstein’s reply to Thiel: “Mini Ponzi gambling manipulation unlikely to cause trouble except for high value targets.” (32:53)
- Epstein as a connector between powerful figures and states: Set up meetings between Thiel and Russian officials; similarities drawn to how Mossad and Russia use “helpful idiots” among the rich.
- Andrew Ti: “Yeah, it’s like agent of. But in the way that, like, so is a chainsaw. It doesn’t make it smart.” (31:06)
4. Seeding Right-Wing Internet Culture: 4chan, Moot, and /pol/ (36:00–47:20)
- The founding of 4chan’s /pol/ board—possibly catalyzed by Epstein:
- The day before 4chan founder Chris “Moot” Poole launches the notoriously fascist “/pol/” board, he meets with Epstein. (45:20)
- The implication: Epstein may have directly or indirectly influenced the institutionalization of the internet’s biggest right-wing hub.
- Robert: “We simply don’t have enough information to know exactly what happened here... But I can’t ignore the timing of this.” (47:11)
- Epstein’s personal interest in 4chan: He was trawling the site for pornography and interacting with the culture (even Adventure Time/Princess Bubblegum porn), showing his knowledge of youth culture and creepy interests.
- Robert: “I didn’t expect Jeffrey Epstein knew what Adventure Time was. That’s weird to me.” (48:41)
- Sophie (on MIT head Joi Ito sending him a Wikipedia article about Japanese anime body pillows): “That’s like at least tier two sex offender shit.” (52:17)
5. Epstein & the Alt-Right Media Ecosystem: Breitbart, Bannon, White Nationalist YouTubers (53:08–61:00)
- As /pol/ launches, Steve Bannon (Epstein’s friend) takes over Breitbart—both became key drivers of the alt-right movement and Gamergate.
- Epstein's drift into far-right media: He begins reading Breitbart and sending links (“What’s more disturbing is that you are reading Breitbart.”—Kathy Ruemler, Obama's WH counsel, 56:28).
- He funds white nationalist content, e.g., a $25,000 donation to French influencer Jean-Francois Gariepy—whose abuses go beyond racism to grooming and disappearance of a spouse (58:50–60:14).
- Andrew Ti: “There is a certain point where you’re like, yeah, all these right wing people are awful...But it is kind of fascinating each time. They have no shame.” (60:36)
6. Endgame: Funding Neo-Fascist Ideology (61:00–65:00)
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Throughout the 2010s, Epstein gets “deeply involved in bitcoin” and starts funding projects and people who champion right-wing, anti-democratic philosophies—like biological hierarchy and fascist tactics masquerading as efficiency.
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Robert summarizes: After losing faith in the system that made him, Epstein (like Thiel and Bannon) seeks to “burn stuff down”—investing in crypto and alt-right media to destroy democratic and financial order for personal and class gain.
Quotable Moment:
- Epstein to Thiel, post-Brexit (June 2016):
“Brexit, just the beginning.”
“Return to tribalism, counter to globalization. Amazing new alliances. You and I both agreed zero interest rates were too high. And as I said in your office, finding things on their way to collapse was much easier than finding the next bargain.” (64:20)
- Epstein to Thiel, post-Brexit (June 2016):
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On elite complicity: “If you’re Jeffrey Epstein’s friend at this point and inviting him to islands, I consider you guilty of everything he was.” — Robert (17:39)
- On right-wing tech bros: “These people are not smarter than you. They’re actively dumber than you.” — Andrew Ti (08:31)
- On the price of influence: “How little money it really takes to bribe a lot of very influential people to change the world...” — Robert (22:37)
- On /pol/’s origins: “We can’t know for certain, but the day before Poole creates /pol/, he meets Epstein... I can’t ignore the timing.” — Robert (47:11)
- On their exhaustion:
- “I in pain.” — Sophie (65:31)
- “Life is good.” — Robert (65:34)
- “I guess we should do part four, huh?” — Sophie (65:36)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Epstein’s Putin Crypto Pitch: 04:14–11:18
- MIT/Academia Pipeline: 17:58–24:26
- Crypto Ponsis & Thiel Correspondence: 24:54–33:59
- /pol/, 4chan & Moot Meeting: 36:00–47:20
- Cartoon Porn, MIT Connection, Anime Pillows: 47:21–52:31
- Breitbart, Bannon, Right-Wing Media: 53:08–61:00
- White Nationalist Funding & Endgame: 61:00–65:00
- Post-Brexit Email w/ Thiel (“Brexit just the beginning”): 64:20
- Closing Reflections: 65:00–66:00
Tone & Style
- Irreverent, darkly humorous, conversational—mixes investigative rigor with banter and gallows humor.
- Unapologetically critical of institutional cowardice, hypocrisy of the powerful, and the grim absurdity of elite behavior.
Conclusion
This episode paints a damning picture of Epstein’s outsize influence on technology, academia, and the genesis of online fascist movements. Through newly-public emails and connections, Robert, Andrew, and Sophie show how Epstein wasn’t just a monstrous outlier but also a central node in the networks shaping the modern world—for the worse. The final message is grim: the people who built, enabled, and justified today's most destructive systems were smarter only in their self-interest and carelessness, and their damage goes far beyond what headlines ever captured.