Bradley Hope is one half of the famous Wall Street Journal duo who helped expose the 1MDB scandal — the other being Tom Wright.
Together, they authored Billion Dollar Whale, the bestselling book that catapulted them to international recognition. The pair now runs Brazen, a diversified media and production house.
Despite branching out into various ventures — including geeking out on AI — Hope has remained laser-focused on tracking fugitive financier Low Taek Jho or Jho Low.
Hope recently launched a memecoin and a dedicated X handle designed to reward tipsters who provide verified leads.
His latest discovery involved unearthing a 2013 email in which Jho Low boasted about singing with actor Leonardo DiCaprio and performing an unreleased track with rappers Swizz Beatz and Lil Jon.
Malaysia has made some progress in recovering 1MDB-linked money, but its efforts to apprehend Jho Low remain unconvincing.
I caught up with Hope for a quick Q&A on his pursuit of perhaps the slipperiest whale of all.
The interview has been edited for brevity.
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