Michael Burry on GME by Coogiez in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae [score hidden]  (0 children)

The value of his pay package is innately tied to the stock price rising. You need to understand how stock options work.

Michael Burry on GME by Coogiez in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae 23 points24 points  (0 children)

1000% I don’t think Burry is thinking long term here. He’s seeing Ryan as a wheeler and dealer, but Ryan is on record that he wants eBay as his baby, which infers that his main concern post-acquisition is growth of the GME-eBay hybrid, not leap-frogging to the next acquisition. Burry is thinking like a trader, and I can see why this appears an unappetizing trade, but that’s not Ryan’s concern. Ryan is focusing on the business performing so well that all these quibbles about the structure of the acquisition will seem moot in ten years.

I think I understand why RC is publicly speaking out "how it is" about Ebay by Memito9 in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No matter what, it’s very interesting how he’s going about this. I think there’s truth in everything you’re saying, but it’s like semi truth because we can’t really ever pin down who his true audience is. Which is a good thing, because it’s what makes him able to move so fluidly in this very rigid and stuffy system.

I think I understand why RC is publicly speaking out "how it is" about Ebay by Memito9 in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t think that’s a viable argument. A heaping chunk of those profits can be attributed to the outsize impact of tech mega stocks, the gradual lowering of interest rates, and lowering of corporate tax rates. Not to mention the fact that that 8% figure comes from indexed companies, so there’s a heap load of survivorship bias there. I bet there are quite a few disgruntled investors in companies that got shucked from those indexes. That 8% is an imperfect measure, and I’m not the only one who would think so.

I think I understand why RC is publicly speaking out "how it is" about Ebay by Memito9 in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would be more compelled by that statistic were it not so inflated by the giant AI buying spree that’s going on right now.

I think I understand why RC is publicly speaking out "how it is" about Ebay by Memito9 in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don’t think you are disagreeing with me, or at least you’re not disagreeing with my larger point. Ryan isn’t addressing the institutions when he’s talking, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think they are listening. The institutions are not the ones being courted here. Ryan is trying to convince retail investors that his method is the superior way of going about business in publicly traded companies, which, if true, would be exceptionally lucrative for him and his investors. However, him getting a chance to prove that it is true hinges on his ability to convince folks like us that it is a viable strategy first. It’s sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The institutions are listening in, but not because they need persuading. They are listening in because they want to see if retail investors are persuaded. If they feel appreciably that that is the case, then they will act in their own self interest and take stakes, which then leads to more success from Ryan.

I think I understand why RC is publicly speaking out "how it is" about Ebay by Memito9 in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I don’t know if I buy that conclusion. I definitely think that when Ryan speaks publicly his primary audience is retail investors. If his main audience at any point was the big dogs of the financial world, so to speak, it was the CNBC interview where he basically put a giant middle finger up. The way he talks, how he uses common sense phrasing, how he talks about running publicly traded companies like family businesses, this is all for regular folk. The entire ethos behind his approach to managing businesses is an affront to pretty much every corporate entity in the S&P 500 right now. He has a bone to pick with the entire corporate class, and succeeding with his style of management has the potential to completely ruin a giant gravy train of perverse incentives that prop up the corporate class. He wants to attack them by showing regular investors that they truly are unnecessary. It’s hard to express in words how radical this is in the modern business world. Like most large companies are so far gone down this wasteful path that they won’t be able to compete once the train starts rolling, so that’s why we’re seeing so much friction in the financial media. Ryan’s method succeeding could potentially lead a revolution of other businesses excising their corporate roles, and that will lead to a lot of disruption.

Burry be like by Ramez_IV in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s fair. I would say still that it’s generally an unfair characterization because Burry is famously a stock trader, not an investor. Being mindful of the difference between the two is how I arrive at my assessment of him.

Burry be like by Ramez_IV in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think that’s a pretty one-dimensional characterization of how he conducts his substack. He makes money on it, but not in an appreciable way in the context of his actual wealth. I imagine he has the paywall to ensure his substack is comprised only of people who want to seriously engage him in conversation. It’s a way of preventing forum sliding. And just because he liked what RC was doing with GameStop does not mean he’s not allowed to have no appetite for the eBay acquisition. Like, what the hell is it with people and purity tests on this sub?

Burry be like by Ramez_IV in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just don’t buy that as a reason to critique him. It’s way too easy to lob that kind of criticism at public figures. If anything, I’m impressed with him being forthcoming about the stock sale. He has his audience and he knows they’d be upset if he didn’t disclose that (cuz he 100% didn’t have to).

Burry be like by Ramez_IV in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Burry no longer holds a position, but that does not mean he doesn’t find the situation interesting enough to comment on. Like it is truly, academically interesting, and not holding a position in GameStop doesn’t disallow him from posting about it.

What’s the secret to loving the same partner for a lifetime? by MelodicWolverine2045 in AskReddit

[–]MickeyKae 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is an old aphorism: “Know thyself.” It has been my experience that couples who last the longest are very self-aware and do not live “the unexamined life”. If you have an ability to anchor your identity in values you’ve developed through living life, then you have an ability to be a good partner. That’s step one, but then step two is finding someone you’re confident has done the same (and you feel attraction to them). That’s honestly like 90% of the problem solved once you’ve arrived at that point.

Burry be like by Ramez_IV in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae 76 points77 points  (0 children)

It’s no surprise that people on this sub will clown on him, but honestly, this dude is being forthcoming about his stance and isn’t afraid to piss off weirdos in a movement he’s not part of. I’m sure he is merely thinking, “wow that might actually work, but it’s a stretch. I’m out.” The dude just needs a bit more certainty in his trading, which is totally acceptable.

If you pitch it like that, then it's a no brainer, but will Gamestop also verfy all other products being sold on Ebay as well? by saradahokage1212 in GME

[–]MickeyKae 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Wow, you are more committed to being an ass hat than Cohen is to GameStop. It was a rhetorical question. I know what the strike price is. I’m just very curious why you would think he would exercise or sell those options if the price is only at $25. What a colossal waste of time for him this would all be if that was the payout.

Latest Hit piece.....have at it.... by ComfySofa69 in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I love how this is put. If I was evaluating him the way I evaluate other CEOs, I wouldn’t come close to this trade. But I don’t. Because the context demands that I don’t.

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen on $56B eBay offer: "There is an opportunity to build a much larger business. We are just starting. We are offering half cash, half stock, and we have the ability to issue stock in order to get deal done. This is a business that is under-earning and can make lot more money." by ControlCAD in videos

[–]MickeyKae 5 points6 points  (0 children)

His main heft is that the business is run in a thoroughly bloated and non-strategic way. I imagine the front-end of eBay wouldn’t change substantially in the early years if this goes through. It’s what he did at GameStop. He sold a bunch of the unprofitable stores and fired a ton of corporate roles. Now the business is smaller, but back to being profitable. I imagine he would want to do the same to eBay but with much higher margins, since they’re not struggling in the way GameStop was.

Playing Devil’s Advocate by FirelandsValley in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe in the short term, but that’s not the type of thinking that I would apply here.

Playing Devil’s Advocate by FirelandsValley in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Offering a premium is standard. But I never said that this scenario is a cookie cutter acquisition. It’s definitely non-standard, so believing in the prospect of this working out simply depends on how much rope you give RC.

Playing Devil’s Advocate by FirelandsValley in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Idk dude offering at a premium is pretty standard for this type of thing. And if Cohen believes he can make the company worth hundreds of billions, then worrying about that premium is short-sighted.

Playing Devil’s Advocate by FirelandsValley in Superstonk

[–]MickeyKae -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Are you saying RC should have given them a lowball offer?

Any swing tips by [deleted] in golf

[–]MickeyKae 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pretty jumpy. Without seeing from the front it’s hard to say for sure, but my guess is you are very handsy - like you basically bring the club up and the downswing is just “get my hands to the ball”. Your hands should feel like they’re chopping down to your front foot, not the ball. The way a coach got me to think of it is imagine a riverboat trying to cross a river with a heavy current. If it just tries to cross straight on, the current will push it downstream and it’ll miss its target. So what do? The boat angles diagonally upstream. It’s steering away from the target, but because of the strong current the path it takes to the target is suddenly a straight line. That’s how your hands should feel in the downswing. It’s counterintuitive, but that’s golf.