The feds almost never lose. going to trial never a smart move. the best he can hope for is a sympathetic jury

Smart move? He was not offered a plea bargain, so going to trial was the only option.

You can always plead guilty.

Without a bargain there isn’t much point.

The judge could take it into account as a sign of contrition, and you save on legal fees?

I think you're mistaking the feeling of guilt with the state of being guilty of something.

The person you're responding to isn't claiming that SBF demonstrated remorse at his actions, he is claiming that SBF admitted to the crimes he's been accused of.

Whether or not he feels remorse for those actions is a separate concern. But yeah, he's guilty.

That just means he doesn't have good legal representation and political cover, doesn't it?

No, it means he defied and then fired his good legal representation because he preferred to publicly and repeatedly proclaim his guilt before (and with the direct result of effecting) the burning of his political connections.

His tweeting through the FTX collapse was a masterclass in self-incrimination.