Scott Wapner

A book about a bunch of horrible people doing horrible things to one another and to horrible companies. Herbalife is a pretty massive scam which preys on poor Latinos, and one obnoxious hedge fund guy who mostly was just lucky a few times before decided to follow another smarter hedge fund guy’s fake-out into shorting it, then ended up basically at war with him when he went long. This is really more a 4.5/5 because there isn’t a lot of deep underlying truth here beyond ultra-rich assholes are still assholes, just with money, but it is still a worthwhile lesson.… (lisätietoja)

I first became interested in the epic battle over the future of Herbalife by watching a documentary. Bill Ackman had bet enormous sums of money that Herbalife was nothing but a huge pyramid scheme (the more pleasant term with less baggage is "multi-layered marketing" - one is illegal, the other legal. Personally, I find but little difference between them.)

What was astonishing was the amount of money thrown around in pursuit of even larger amounts of money and how each of the titans, Icahn and Ackman (one going long the other short respectively, used huge sums and PR in attempts to manipulate the market to their advantage; small investor and company employees matter for little. The market would move in substantial gains or losses simply by one or the other buying or selling large blocks of stock or by making comments in the press.

Scott Wapner, the author, is a business reporter for CNBC, and one couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't being manipulated by the parties as well. He was eager for the scoop by having "breaking news" on his show and they were eager to use his platform for their own financial gain. It was on his show that the famous verbal brawl occurred between Ackman and Icahn. Lasting almost the entire show they hurled insults at each other. "Apparently, if you have enough cash to spend, it doesn’t seem terribly difficult to weaponize social justice in the cause of your portfolio," said one observer.

Troubling, too, is the outsize influence these billionaires have with federal regulators like the FTC. Their money gives them instant access. Moreover, their decisions, we learn, may be influenced as much by personal animosities as good business, although none of them would ever admit it. Unfortunately those decisions have disproportionate impact on smaller investors.

Fascinating book.… (lisätietoja)

First of all, this book have been compared by some reviewers to Barbarians at the Gate, which I found to be a five star rated book. Wapner’s book was not nearly that interesting or exciting at least to this reader. Frankly the two main characters and antagonists, Icahn and Ackman were primarily concerned with their own egos and greed. Wapner’s book was obviously well researched and he was personally involved in the reporting of this story as it happened. He dealt with both Carl Icahn and Bill Ackman. From my reading of this book, I tend to side with the argument that Herbalife was a pyramid scheme. But since I am not a lawyer or regulator, my opinion does not mean much.

This book read dry in many sections. It was like reading a Wall Street Journal article version of the story. Though I lived during the period this book took place, I don’t remember the story or the furor. I don’t think that this book would make a very good movie – – just my opinion.… (lisätietoja)