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Criticism/Defense Of Billionaire Philanthropy

Taxes will probably not go to the same causes, e.g. reforming the bail system, grassroot efforts for migrants, etc.

Foundations are more effective than governments as they do their due diligence, e.g. Bill Gates. Reforming the government is a long battle.

Folks like Melvin Capital and Citron Research think that GameStop is a dying business. The general public is optimistic though, be it for fundamental reasons (e.g. Ryan Cohen (chewy.com) will help GameStop can re-invent itself in the online space ), or for personal amusement, or FOMO. In particular, /r/wallstreetbets members are buying lots of call options . Or maybe it’s rage against the financial machine.

Maximizing the Value for Shareholders

Suing a company for not following its code of ethics and therefore misleading investors doesn’t fly, but Signet Jewelers settled for $240m . Signet’s 70k female employees sued for discrimination, but the class action is yet to be resolved.

Short Term Loans

A common narrative for loan providers is financial inclusion. 69% of global adult population is not covered by credit bureaus. Using non-traditional data (e.g. text messages, location, contacts, call logs), more people can get scored.

Protectionism vs. Globalization

Prestige Ameritech is America’s #1 maker of surgical masks. In outbreaks, demand peaks, but when it’s all over, hospitals go back to exclusively buying cheaper masks from China. Reduced demand makes Ameritech lay off workers. Ameritech is pushing for a federal contract to stabilize demand over time.

India’s Foreign Exchange Act of 1973 gave Coca-Cola an ultimatum: hand over 60% of the local subsidiary to Indian partners and the syrup recipe. Coca-Cola left in 1977. With the fall of the Soviet Union, socialist India’s primary sponsor, India embraced the free market to fully finance its debts. Coca-Cola and Pepsi came back, but Indians kept drinking Thums Up (goes well with spicy food) and Limca (appeals to national love for lemonade). Coca-Cola bought both brands but still produces them.

Short Selling

Say $A shares are selling at $100, but I think they’re overpriced. So I borrow 10 shares, pay my brokerage interest and post some collateral. I then sell the shares for $1,000.

20 years later, JetBrains is valued at $7b without taking VC money. HN users praise JetBrains for being user-focused, and the prevailing argument is that VC money comes with growth-hacking attached.

Is the Lean Startup Dead?

Katzenberg (Paramount, Disney Studios & DreamWorks) has raised $1.75b for NewTV, a startup banking on consumers wanting a subscription for 10-minute programs on mobile.

Incomplete List of Information Privacy Properties

• Control/consent, e.g. Cambridge Analytica exfiltrating FB users’ data

• Anonymity, e.g. Snowden leaking NSA docs without revealing his identity

• Limits on data collection, e.g. laws restricting government surveillance

• Limits on data use, e.g. US Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008