1 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: This is Masters in Business with Barry rid Holts on 2 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:10,120 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Radio. Welcome to the podcast this week. I'm Barry 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: rid Holtson. You're listening to Masters in Business on Bloomberg Radio. 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: This week. I have an old friend in as a guest, 5 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: Howard Lindzen, who has a storied background in the world 6 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: of angel and venture investing. I know Howard for a 7 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: good couple of years, primarily from his time when he 8 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: was running the stock Twits network, which was the largest 9 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 1: financial social network out there, as well as a number 10 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: of other investments that he's made over the years that 11 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: I've been familiar with in the technology space. Howard is 12 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: a Canadian, so that makes him nicer than most people, 13 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: but also gives him a slightly different perspective on how 14 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:56,279 Speaker 1: things are here in the States. And and we've seen 15 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: a number of different Canadians like Howard and Paul Couldraw, 16 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 1: you know, there's such folks come down from Canada and 17 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: just you know, have a slightly different perspective which lets 18 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:09,319 Speaker 1: them see things a little bit differently. And I think 19 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: you'll find this and amusing and interesting conversation with no 20 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: further ado. Here's my conversation with Howard Linson. This is 21 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: Masters in Business with Barry Ridholts on Bloomberg Radio. My 22 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: guest this week is Howard Linsen, entrepreneur, angel investor, hedge 23 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,479 Speaker 1: fund manager. What what else can we add to your curriculum? 24 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 1: Vitae married nineteen years, two kids, two dogs, two kids, 25 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: two dogs. I get my best ideas from the dogs 26 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,320 Speaker 1: and the kids. You know. I read somewhere that your 27 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: hobbies are driving your kids around and staying awake, and 28 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 1: I will save the answer to what that actually means 29 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: till till later. So let's talk a little bit. Remind me, 30 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: resumet and sleep are two big absolutely, So let's talk 31 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: a little bit about your background. You grew up in Canada, 32 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: in Toronto, and then not like it's like New York 33 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: considered Canada, Montreal's Canada, Yukon territories as Canada. So you 34 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,919 Speaker 1: don't think growing up north of the border impacted the 35 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: way you view the economy, economic activities, and technology. Good question. 36 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: I think Toronto's boomed for so long that I don't 37 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 1: think we were subject to some of the some of 38 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 1: the stuff that probably happened in the United States. Tront 39 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: has just been in such a long boom. Maybe it's 40 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: because they couldn't leverage themselves. I feel the city has 41 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: become like in l A without an ocean. So I'm 42 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 1: not I'm not barish on Torona. I don't like it 43 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 1: as much as I used to in it. But I 44 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: moved away when I was young. I moved to Arizona 45 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:52,679 Speaker 1: when I was nineteen. So but you still effectively grew 46 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 1: up north of the border. Oh yeah, I grew up 47 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: love the city. All my friends were there. I grew 48 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: up in a wealthy neighborhood, so I was lucky. Uh 49 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 1: And so maybe I just didn't see the differences as 50 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: much as you know. We grew up watching CBS affiliates Buffalo. 51 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: We saw Buffalo burn during the seven News. Everybody was 52 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:13,519 Speaker 1: burning down Buffalo. Cheek to Wauga, Tonawanda. Those our news 53 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 1: in Buffalo. And the Bills. We were bills, and I 54 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: don't know we were bill. So you moved to Arizona. 55 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: You get an undergraduate degree in Canada, graduate degree in 56 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:25,919 Speaker 1: UM the United States? How did you find your way 57 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: to angel technology investing? The I came out of a 58 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: school called Thunderbird right after the Gulf War, whose logo 59 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: looks like it's right from the trans never really cared 60 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 1: about my degree, never mattered to mean, that's worthless. That 61 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 1: logo looked it was right off of the Transformers movie. 62 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: It was right off the Transfort So the dean was 63 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: Optimus Prime and and I didn't know. They went why 64 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: how does the school go bankrupt? How mismanaged is their endowment? 65 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: They just college doesn't have TARP. That's why to go bankrupt. 66 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: There you go no bailouts. But there's no bailout from 67 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: Howard's graduate school. Listen, it was a dual degree with 68 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 1: a s U and Thunderbird, which is not So it's 69 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: a good question. I don't know, because you could give 70 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: yourself a doctorate if they don't assist anymore, you could 71 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: promote yourself. I gotta be honest. Is this a funny story? 72 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 1: The But I'll go quickly because there's more important things 73 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 1: to talk about. I think I had missed two classes 74 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 1: and we were in a fight over whether my degree 75 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: was there. I waited a couple of years, walked in 76 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 1: really dumb and asked for my degree one time, and 77 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,679 Speaker 1: they gave it to me. So I do have that degree. 78 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: But more importantly, I don't know I think it's still 79 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,039 Speaker 1: I don't know. I you know, I don't I know. 80 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:41,359 Speaker 1: I have the most Twitter followers because they invited me 81 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: to school. They never liked me, but I got invited 82 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:50,479 Speaker 1: social I got the claim to fame. The dean called me, 83 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 1: who's now a George Mason who was a really good 84 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 1: guy to President Angel Cabrera, not the baseball player, And 85 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:58,120 Speaker 1: uh he called me one day, goes, oh, we're very 86 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 1: interested in social media and you are the so so 87 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: how did you become the man? How? Let's start first, 88 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 1: how did you find your way to angel investing? Yeah? 89 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:11,600 Speaker 1: What a? What a? What a? First of all, very 90 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 1: I think a lot of angel investing is uh, first 91 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: of all passion. Second of all, it's no different than 92 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:23,479 Speaker 1: anybody with domain expertise, little luck, little passion um. But 93 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:25,919 Speaker 1: that's how do you be successful once you're there? Okay, 94 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: how do you go from I'm a business major? Two, 95 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 1: I have an idea. Why don't I seed a bunch 96 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: of startups? Well? I only seeded one. I graduated. I 97 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:35,599 Speaker 1: was illegal in the States. It was hard to work. 98 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: I didn't have it was the Gulf War we had. 99 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 1: And do you want to graduate from school? Uh? The 100 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: country was at war. I was um. It was a recession. 101 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:50,480 Speaker 1: You had Charles keating, Phoenix was a mess s and 102 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: l Christis was the center of the mess. And you 103 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:55,920 Speaker 1: know I the only job I could get was as 104 00:05:55,920 --> 00:06:01,040 Speaker 1: a stockbroker for the Principal Group, which became Eppler became 105 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:05,159 Speaker 1: many things. Principal Group. Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. But when 106 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:07,039 Speaker 1: I was doing I was cold calling. It was the 107 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:09,640 Speaker 1: only job I could get. They sponsored me and I 108 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: cold called this kid Mark scatter Day and he had 109 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:14,599 Speaker 1: invented a product called the grip. It was a stress 110 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 1: ball to two meetings later, I realized he didn't have money, 111 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:19,839 Speaker 1: so I wasn't gonna get him as a client. But 112 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:22,359 Speaker 1: I had invested in twenty five grand hard during twenty 113 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: five grand, I went to my dad's and Dad backed me. 114 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 1: We got this great product. Blah blah blah. He asked 115 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 1: for a business plan. It's a business plan. This is 116 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: just yeah, this is just a home run product. Come on, 117 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: and uh, Unfortunately was probably one of the last times 118 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,480 Speaker 1: I talked to my dad. So you failed backwards into 119 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,000 Speaker 1: through through this product in events are investing exactly. This 120 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: product became the pet Rock. It's in the QBC Hall 121 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:51,359 Speaker 1: of Fame. Uh. It was giant success, giant success, forty 122 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 1: million in revenue. Um really got me going in my 123 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: hedge fund world because Mark and I had all this 124 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: cash to manage, and the nineties were point what a 125 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: boom time. It was roll up city and UH in 126 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 1: our business, which was the specialty business, it became you know, 127 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: I had learned about roll ups. I learned about the 128 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: healthcare indstory, fight Corps and all these uh healthcare roll 129 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: ups if you can remember. And it was a bullmarket 130 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: of like a epic proportions in the night. It was 131 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: a low vall bowl market, and I thought I knew 132 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: what I was doing. It was just a good lucky 133 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:28,640 Speaker 1: first Angel investment. And really the core of that Angel 134 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 1: investment was, oh my god, this is the best product 135 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 1: I had ever felt. Earlier, I used a quote of 136 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:37,120 Speaker 1: yours and I want to repeat it. And have you 137 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 1: explained it a little bit? You recently said in print 138 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: There's never been a better time to build the business 139 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: in America than today. Explain I say it every time 140 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:51,320 Speaker 1: I get asked. November my favorite, the best time I 141 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:53,480 Speaker 1: ever said it was in front of a bunch of 142 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: Canate Torontonians and two after I'd sold wall Strip and 143 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: it was the crash VIX was a hundred. I posted 144 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: a chart to the SMP on the VIX and I said, 145 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: what are you people doing watching me? You should be 146 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 1: a building a business. That's really when I started plunking 147 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:09,560 Speaker 1: down a lot of my money. But today I say 148 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:12,280 Speaker 1: the same thing. Here's what Well, let me just back up. 149 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:16,600 Speaker 1: Wall Strip was one of your earlier investments. It was 150 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: a satirical um sort of like the Daily Show for finance, 151 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 1: only online and three to five minutes segments. You had 152 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: lindsay correct, Libell threw was terrific, right, and um you 153 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 1: sold that to CBS for a nice jump to change. Yeah, 154 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 1: we started six months. I cold called Fred Wilson, who 155 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 1: would backed Cramer at the Street dot com. Fred gave 156 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:40,400 Speaker 1: me my first fifty K, introducing me to a bunch 157 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: of other vcs. I used the term loosely because they 158 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 1: all invested without meeting me. Twenty five Grand Brad Feld, 159 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 1: Mark Pinkas. It was a who's who at the maybe 160 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 1: not at the time on Fred's phone call, the funniest 161 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: being Mark Pinkas, who said no at first and said 162 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 1: tell Fred to stop giving up my phone number. Mark 163 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:00,560 Speaker 1: went to under starred Zinga but he it has been 164 00:09:00,679 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: a big success. But he did invest, but never really 165 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: give me any at kudos. Marks a pretty tough kid. 166 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,839 Speaker 1: So but so by the way, Fred Wilson runs at 167 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:12,600 Speaker 1: hopefully we get him in here, hopefully we so. So 168 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 1: just a little background, Fred runs Venture from my mentor. 169 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: He started Union Score Venture, which has been wildly successful. 170 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:23,440 Speaker 1: I would say the best East Coast media VC of 171 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 1: all time. Right and after he's made people enough money 172 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: at a certain point, he calls up and says, hey, 173 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 1: I'm putting some money into this throw or fifty and 174 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:35,880 Speaker 1: most people don't even He looked at it as an 175 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: art project. Obviously YouTube it just started. We had chatted 176 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 1: on his blog for a long time. I never really 177 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:43,839 Speaker 1: needed anything. I was taking ideas from him. Term sheets. 178 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:45,599 Speaker 1: Had to build a term sheet. This was you know, 179 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,200 Speaker 1: this was my way into the into the truly learned, 180 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:52,720 Speaker 1: real education. For it was Fred the school. Fred was 181 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 1: this is who's going to pay the teamsters type stuff 182 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: from Rodney Danger Phil. So I would cut and pay 183 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:01,400 Speaker 1: stuff from their blog and build term sheets. And I 184 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,960 Speaker 1: was so grateful. And there's oh five and the uh 185 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 1: when I saw YouTube. I said, it's time to disrupt them. 186 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:10,840 Speaker 1: See let's build a show reverse it cramer, a female 187 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:12,960 Speaker 1: cramer that there's nothing about the markets. Let's see if 188 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:14,959 Speaker 1: we can educate her and teach her about trend Following 189 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 1: Fred plunked down, we put our first show on online. 190 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:21,320 Speaker 1: It was really funny. The Apple Show was the original show. 191 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: It was like, let's get long Apple. Obviously continue to 192 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: be long Apple probably a probably about twenty bucks counting 193 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 1: for oh now it splits, it's probably like six bucks, 194 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: five six bucks, So home run idea. We covered Nike 195 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: next to Paul Day's companies that I felt. The idea 196 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:41,520 Speaker 1: was stocks making all time highs that I felt were 197 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: in trends that were everlasting. Obviously what not quite ever lasting, 198 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:50,120 Speaker 1: but long long lasting, everlasting themes. But the point is, yeah, 199 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,079 Speaker 1: trying to find companies that you didn't have to day trade. 200 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:55,199 Speaker 1: So uh. We raised six hunder grand sold to CBS 201 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 1: for five million in six months. Now, so I became 202 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:01,080 Speaker 1: a little bit of a almost ten x and six 203 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 1: times that came a little bit of a celebrity. So 204 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:07,760 Speaker 1: that was kind of the fun little interlude to started 205 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 1: parlaying that money into Angel investment. The comment, there's never 206 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:15,200 Speaker 1: been a better time to build. Here's here's here's what 207 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: I said. Go ahead. In nineteen eighty when I started 208 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:20,600 Speaker 1: a company, it was you had to spend three grand 209 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:23,720 Speaker 1: on a box, just a box. To get a telephone 210 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:25,800 Speaker 1: in your room, you had to spend a rent with 211 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:28,960 Speaker 1: your name on it. You had, um, you had. You 212 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,319 Speaker 1: had to buy PCs for four or five grand. Uh. 213 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 1: It was just ridiculous. Today you do it at Starbucks 214 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: with the laptop that you can let your parents you Now, 215 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 1: anybody can start a product. The other thing is number 216 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 1: one way to get into business by yourself, to start 217 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:48,839 Speaker 1: a franchise. Right, Okay, so so even today, UH to 218 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: toot one of my portfolio companies. We you know, with 219 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:53,559 Speaker 1: Lending Club going public and on Deck Capital going public. 220 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,400 Speaker 1: Now we're going to see the verticalization of these platforms 221 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:58,480 Speaker 1: were getting money. I invest in a company called apple 222 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:02,680 Speaker 1: Pie Capital, which helps franchise e s UH crowdsource money 223 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:06,600 Speaker 1: to open their first UH franchise operations. So the franchise 224 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:09,880 Speaker 1: ors are now because the banks aren't lending going on 225 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 1: these platforms or someone being apple poecat like a kick 226 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 1: Starter for angeling starter but in a very specific niche 227 00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:19,880 Speaker 1: of franchisees. Yeah, which is business in America. It's the 228 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:22,440 Speaker 1: it's the it's the pulse of America. Fran I want 229 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 1: to open to McDonald's saying McDonald's because we're not doing 230 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 1: business with me yet. But companies in the Midwest, whether 231 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:30,199 Speaker 1: they're like this big jewelry franchise or a pizza franchise 232 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:33,280 Speaker 1: where it's approven franchise, if you follow the instructions, you 233 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:36,440 Speaker 1: can make the money. Uh, and they can't. Banks can't 234 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:39,880 Speaker 1: fund them. So now you know that's a great yield 235 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 1: type play for institutions. So put two hundred thousand across 236 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 1: a diversified portfolio of franchises. So when I say never 237 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 1: been a better time to start a business, you go 238 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:51,800 Speaker 1: start a franchise company right now. A business you can 239 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:54,840 Speaker 1: go start, You go get a job anywhere you've got 240 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 1: Craigslist LinkedIn. Uh, there's no excuse not to be able 241 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:02,280 Speaker 1: to just show up at a company and just approve yourself. Yeah, 242 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: you can go learn to code for thirteen grand and 243 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 1: one of these private schools and Nila, build a game. 244 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:08,840 Speaker 1: Build I'm not saying you have to go build something 245 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:11,480 Speaker 1: because there's a lot more skills and marketing and sales 246 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:13,800 Speaker 1: and getting your first customers and figuring out all that 247 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:15,959 Speaker 1: to do. But you can get your skills free. You 248 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:18,480 Speaker 1: get your skills for basically free. It's more than just 249 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:22,520 Speaker 1: the basic technology, it's everything that surrounds coming up with 250 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:26,960 Speaker 1: an idea, making it sellable, and then doing everything surrounding 251 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:29,280 Speaker 1: it beyond the technology. And you can do this while 252 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:30,839 Speaker 1: you have a job. So, I mean, you know, I 253 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 1: always recommend people don't take the leap until you really 254 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:35,840 Speaker 1: are committed to being an entrepreneur. A lot of people 255 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:38,720 Speaker 1: call themselves entrepreneurs. I think we're at a stage where 256 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:41,480 Speaker 1: there's a lot of entrepreneurs. There's these people that you know, 257 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 1: have a job, they think they have another business. You 258 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:45,560 Speaker 1: don't have a business until you're doing it full time. 259 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 1: You're not committed. Uh no real investors going to give 260 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:51,439 Speaker 1: you money if you haven't taken the leap away from 261 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:54,600 Speaker 1: or at least guys like me aren't. But um, you know, 262 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:56,440 Speaker 1: it's never been a better time to take that leap 263 00:13:57,679 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: to do research. All these things that used to be 264 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 1: behind needs now in the wall are now there. Uh. 265 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:06,480 Speaker 1: Your phone is forty bucks a month, eighty bucks a month. 266 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 1: That is your your your business. You've got relate i Q. 267 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:11,760 Speaker 1: You can go build a CRM product, you go use 268 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 1: a CRM product on your own, start your business Gmail, 269 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 1: relate i Q. That sounds like it's all very straightforward stuff, 270 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 1: not a lot of out of pocket cost. One of 271 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 1: the things I wanted to talk specifically about today. You know, 272 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 1: we always hear about the the idea, here's a world 273 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 1: changing idea. But as an investor in startups, I want 274 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 1: to throw five bullets out and you tell me what's important, 275 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 1: what's less important, what's not important? The founders, the idea, 276 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 1: the technology, the business model, or the valuation. What are 277 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: those things matter most? I see them and getting so 278 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:52,040 Speaker 1: I would throw out a technology doesn't not important, Well 279 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 1: I don't think so. So over the tech behind Uber 280 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,240 Speaker 1: not significant doesn't work unless there was Google Maps. That's 281 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 1: theoretically it's not even their technology. Well it is, but 282 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: I mean you gotta blend it with Google Maps. Where 283 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 1: would over show up? They wouldn't know where to show up. 284 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 1: So you know, I can talk about that with all 285 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 1: the things that I do. You know, a mashing just 286 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:13,360 Speaker 1: like speech up. So I think Tommy domain expertise in 287 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:15,400 Speaker 1: the founders matter. You know, I'm forty nine years old. 288 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 1: I'm not writing checks like a surpriad chicken anymore. This 289 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 1: gray and prey. I'm looking for founders with domain expertise, 290 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: because you're gonna have to get You're gonna get hit 291 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: over the head. There's gonna be false starts, there's gonna 292 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 1: be all kinds of issues. I think we're you know, 293 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: uh still called Valley has been fanatical about these young kids. 294 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 1: I think as the market boom matures, uh, you know, 295 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 1: having some domain experience matters. So founders matter. The idea 296 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 1: obviously matters because with the founders they have to have 297 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 1: passion around the idea and some knowledge around the idea. 298 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:50,720 Speaker 1: So um, it's a founders first, uh value technology lass 299 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: valuation second last. Because if the founders are great, the 300 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:55,360 Speaker 1: market idea is great, and the idea is great, you're 301 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:57,960 Speaker 1: not gonna have that much choice over what the valuation is. 302 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:01,240 Speaker 1: My biggest mistakes so far have been in passing based 303 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: on valuation Twitters and Twitter at twenty million valuation in 304 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: two thousands and seemed crazy. Luckily, I am an investor 305 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,400 Speaker 1: through Bitley and tweet Deck and many other companies in 306 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:21,480 Speaker 1: that system they bought. They bought some Eyes, which was 307 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:25,160 Speaker 1: the search engine of Twitter. So luckily I ended up 308 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 1: with a lot of Twitter shares and then a very 309 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 1: low profect the same valuation. And I basically tweet deck 310 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: as well, the same thing. So I backed into a 311 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: lot of Twitter shares. But and and Twitter inspired me 312 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:38,440 Speaker 1: to start stock Twitter, which is now, like you said, 313 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 1: the largest social network for traders. So founders idea, um, 314 00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:45,360 Speaker 1: business model matters. I think as we get late in 315 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:47,040 Speaker 1: the boom, you gotta have a thought about how you're 316 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: going to do business. So you now just hinted it. 317 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:52,320 Speaker 1: My next question as we get like technology last and 318 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: valuation last. So here's the other question. So is the 319 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:01,520 Speaker 1: startup market frothy? We've been here for five years, Ah, 320 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:05,160 Speaker 1: Silicon Valley, it's a bubble, it's this Is it frothy? 321 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:08,119 Speaker 1: Does it? Is it? Always? Is this abnormal? Tell us 322 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:12,240 Speaker 1: the state of technology investing in Well, like I said, 323 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:14,639 Speaker 1: I don't think there's enough entrepreneurs. There's there's Cash has 324 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:18,240 Speaker 1: become a commodity. Uh. Platforms to invest, whether it's angel 325 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:20,960 Speaker 1: List or Kickstarter or apple Pie Capital or lending Club, 326 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:24,119 Speaker 1: have become helped cash become a commodity interest rate to 327 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: zero or forcing people to invest. So that's where the 328 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:29,159 Speaker 1: bubble is. The bubble is in the commodity of cash, 329 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:32,440 Speaker 1: I mean bubble cash that they've created another one. Bitcoin 330 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:35,400 Speaker 1: capital isn't as valuable as it once was because there's 331 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 1: so much. There's so much of it and leields are 332 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 1: so low. So don't kid yourself what we are shortage 333 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 1: of our great entrepreneurs, but domain experience. Who knows anything 334 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 1: about But you go back a kid or to do 335 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:46,720 Speaker 1: a blockchain or a bitcoin thing. They may know a 336 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,359 Speaker 1: little bit about tech, they know nothing about how the 337 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:52,480 Speaker 1: regulations work in the industry works. So there's a huge 338 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:55,679 Speaker 1: disconnect there. The second disconnect is, you know, there's a 339 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,359 Speaker 1: lot of great ideas, but good luck finding an entrepreneur 340 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: the execute soup to nuts on that. Including myself, it's 341 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:03,560 Speaker 1: very hard to do that. I haven't turned out to 342 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:05,359 Speaker 1: be able to do everything I wanted with stock twids 343 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:07,360 Speaker 1: because there's a lot of moving parts to how all 344 00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:10,240 Speaker 1: these things work and timing in raising the right capital, etcetera. 345 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 1: It's a very subtle thing to be a great entrepreneur. 346 00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: And so I'm biased in the sense that my big 347 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:19,400 Speaker 1: winds have come from great entrepreneurs. So when we look 348 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 1: at when we look at the issue of of the bubble, 349 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 1: is this just too much cash taste chasing too few 350 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:28,200 Speaker 1: entrepreneurs or do you think this is a full blown 351 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:31,400 Speaker 1: bubble that ends the two thousand ended? And no, this 352 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:33,679 Speaker 1: is not. I mean, let's let's let's really look at 353 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:35,880 Speaker 1: this market. And I see crashes and oil, I see 354 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:39,080 Speaker 1: crashes and currencies. I see crashes in Russia, and I say, well, 355 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:41,320 Speaker 1: you know, the bubbles have never been like this, where 356 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:44,520 Speaker 1: this SMP continues to rise through it and race continue 357 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 1: to decline. So I would say I went down almost 358 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 1: from the peak. I don't I think what we have 359 00:18:51,119 --> 00:18:55,440 Speaker 1: a bubble in h is this idea of being an 360 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 1: entrepreneur and that's dangers. So it's it's not it's you know, 361 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 1: similar to nineties and everybody said, hey, I could be 362 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:04,800 Speaker 1: a day trader. Similar, exactly similar. And when people thought 363 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:07,119 Speaker 1: they could be a day trader, everybody thinks they can 364 00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:08,679 Speaker 1: start a company. And I'm saying, if you have a 365 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,600 Speaker 1: good job, don't kiss a goodbye so quickly. And if 366 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:14,240 Speaker 1: you don't have a good job, absolutely start looking to 367 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:18,439 Speaker 1: build your network. I mean now anybody can build their network. 368 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:20,760 Speaker 1: My fund is called social leverage. The whole premise based 369 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:24,520 Speaker 1: on financial leverage was a bubble that was the last 370 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:26,919 Speaker 1: true bubble and then ended in two thousand eight, and 371 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: we still are paying the price for that. But social 372 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:32,320 Speaker 1: leverage is a brand new boom, and that's people using 373 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:37,119 Speaker 1: the networks LinkedIn Twitter, Facebook to accelerate themselves, kind of 374 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 1: like the peloton, to accelerate themselves through learning curves, mentorship, 375 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:42,960 Speaker 1: what I did with Fred and Brad in terms shoots, 376 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:44,520 Speaker 1: and what you can do on stock, Twits and Twitter 377 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 1: now to accelerate yourself. I want to talk a little 378 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:51,600 Speaker 1: bit about some of the lessons learned from investing. You 379 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier you passed on Twitter. That's a giant mess. 380 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:57,959 Speaker 1: You ended up backdooring into a lot of Twitter shares. 381 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:02,040 Speaker 1: But how does one deal with, Hey, this is a 382 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:04,199 Speaker 1: good investment and it turns out not to be or 383 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:06,080 Speaker 1: this is a band investment it turns out to be great. 384 00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:08,280 Speaker 1: What do you learn from that process? What do you 385 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 1: take away from that? Oh? You know the number one question. 386 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:16,639 Speaker 1: I guess if you're gonna call me a master in business, 387 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:20,920 Speaker 1: it would be because it goes down to the basics, right, 388 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:24,440 Speaker 1: you can learn all this stuff and textbooks. Um, and 389 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:26,639 Speaker 1: I have a kid's fifteen and seventeen. I wonder if 390 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:28,639 Speaker 1: I want them even go into business school because it 391 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 1: really comes down to pie, right, how do you slice 392 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,119 Speaker 1: the pie? And then it comes down to foundation. How 393 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 1: do you structure the company? You know at the beginning, 394 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:40,679 Speaker 1: because the mistakes you make at the beginning over those 395 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: simple things of understanding how you're splitting up a pie 396 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:46,040 Speaker 1: and what you really own, the type of shares you own, 397 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:48,440 Speaker 1: the type of shares everybody else owns, and the way 398 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: you structure the company. Meaning if then then that, if this, 399 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:54,480 Speaker 1: then that you have to assume you've been through this. 400 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:56,399 Speaker 1: You have to assume how you're gonna fight with your 401 00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:00,920 Speaker 1: partners mathematically, you have to assume you're gonna back looking 402 00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:04,359 Speaker 1: at this cap table. You know all the time this 403 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:08,200 Speaker 1: weekend on that exact subject. And I remember saying to somebody, Dude, 404 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:10,320 Speaker 1: you're doing this twenty years. You haven't figured out the 405 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:14,920 Speaker 1: cap structure is significant. It was, It drives stud paying, 406 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:17,119 Speaker 1: it drives all the pain here. I've made so many mistakes, 407 00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 1: meaning the capitalization structure, who owns? What? What happens when 408 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: you fight all those basics you're talking. If we're talking 409 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:28,159 Speaker 1: masters of business, learn that understand what you own always 410 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:31,400 Speaker 1: goes back to understanding what you own. We buy public stocks. 411 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:34,720 Speaker 1: I look at public stocks. Is I think, I'm it's 412 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:36,600 Speaker 1: the worst piece of paper you could possibly own in 413 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:41,160 Speaker 1: a company. Yeah. So I prefer to own the most 414 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:43,879 Speaker 1: high momentum, high pe things because they're liquid and I 415 00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:46,320 Speaker 1: can change my mind. But I'm betting on catalysts, which 416 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:50,280 Speaker 1: are products and not people. I'm betting on products and 417 00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:54,120 Speaker 1: themes at the public company. In public companies the earliest stage, 418 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:57,040 Speaker 1: I am trying to control the cap table and make 419 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:00,320 Speaker 1: sure everybody understands because my job is as a maestro 420 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,240 Speaker 1: of all this is making sure the founders have structured 421 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:05,919 Speaker 1: themselves right. Uh do they get along? Are they going 422 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 1: to get along? How does the cap table look? What 423 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:11,560 Speaker 1: are my rights? What are my investor rights? Because those 424 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:13,320 Speaker 1: are the mistakes that I've made the most. Do I 425 00:22:13,359 --> 00:22:16,240 Speaker 1: have follow on rights to what happens if a founder 426 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:19,080 Speaker 1: hates another founder? Let me let me interrupt you right here. 427 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: You said, do you learn more from your failures or 428 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,959 Speaker 1: your success? You don't learn from winning the grip? The 429 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:28,000 Speaker 1: grip my squeezeball company. I didn't learn a damn thing. 430 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:31,280 Speaker 1: We were smoking cigars, buying cars at lunch, orders were 431 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:34,840 Speaker 1: coming in over the fax machine. Gross margins. You don't 432 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:38,440 Speaker 1: learn from having gross margins. You learn from having tem 433 00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:40,520 Speaker 1: percent gross margins. Going the hell am I doing with 434 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:43,880 Speaker 1: teen percent gross margins? Shut this business down? Uh? So 435 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:47,719 Speaker 1: I can say that all my growth has come from failure. Uh, 436 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:49,960 Speaker 1: it's painful. I don't recommend it. I don't think you 437 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:52,120 Speaker 1: have to have failure. I mean the grip was the grip. 438 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:54,679 Speaker 1: I should have just retired and and done nothing. But 439 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:57,879 Speaker 1: what what are then we wouldn't be having this conversation. 440 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:01,159 Speaker 1: So what are your biggest failure and what were the 441 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:04,399 Speaker 1: lessons from those? The biggest failures I have and you 442 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:07,359 Speaker 1: can get specific. Yeah, I mean it's just putting myself 443 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:10,080 Speaker 1: in business with the wrong people and not really understanding 444 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 1: the business that I myself was involved. And I was 445 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: in a brokerage business in the late nineties. I thought 446 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:17,320 Speaker 1: it was a great idea, as a hedge fun guy 447 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:20,720 Speaker 1: to own my brokerage to cut my commissions. I got 448 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:23,679 Speaker 1: myself in bed with a nastack guy who I thought 449 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:25,600 Speaker 1: it was the right guy to be in business with. 450 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:28,280 Speaker 1: And let me just tell you, I didn't understand what 451 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:30,280 Speaker 1: a broker dealer really how much trouble you could get 452 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:34,159 Speaker 1: yourself into at a broker dealer. Long story short. He 453 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:38,000 Speaker 1: was putting winning accounts in his personal account and and 454 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:40,880 Speaker 1: bad and bad winning trades in his personal account, bad 455 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:43,480 Speaker 1: trades in the air. How do you that it was 456 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:47,920 Speaker 1: impossible to discover their Stearns never called him out on this, 457 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 1: and then ran up a six million dollar air account. 458 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:52,720 Speaker 1: I would say that was a local six and you 459 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,480 Speaker 1: know the power by arbitration, so I couldn't even really win. 460 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:57,920 Speaker 1: And then nine eleven happens, of course, and most are 461 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:00,959 Speaker 1: counts are a few thousand dollars five rand max. And 462 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:03,080 Speaker 1: we bought, we bought a little too much of this 463 00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 1: and moved against us client argues about the price and 464 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:14,640 Speaker 1: your that's insane. It was insane. It was the worst. Yeah, yeah, 465 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:18,040 Speaker 1: and he dollar fine still works at a hedge fund. Criminal. 466 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:23,920 Speaker 1: You know, the sec is so broken. The NS used 467 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:27,280 Speaker 1: to trust them. When we started stock Twits, we went 468 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:28,879 Speaker 1: at a disadvantage because I said, you know what, I 469 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:30,200 Speaker 1: don't want to be a broker dealer. You know, I 470 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,159 Speaker 1: could probably build a big business if I was actually 471 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:34,600 Speaker 1: in charge of the trades. But you know, I've just 472 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:37,119 Speaker 1: tried to figure out how to do business without even 473 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:40,679 Speaker 1: getting myself involved with FINRA, an E s D and 474 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:43,760 Speaker 1: the N s D. Uh they're sloppy. Uh. They don't 475 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:46,480 Speaker 1: work for the people that matter. Uh. They work for 476 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,280 Speaker 1: the wealth and they work for the wealthy. It's just broken, 477 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:55,840 Speaker 1: you know. So combat struggled with disrupting this this industry 478 00:24:56,119 --> 00:24:58,000 Speaker 1: because they don't. Google don't even want to be involved 479 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 1: the one industry. Google doesn't really want to put it 480 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:04,399 Speaker 1: himself involved in his money, and actually that is Google 481 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:06,040 Speaker 1: is the smartest people in the world. All they do 482 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:07,720 Speaker 1: is feed brains and they go, you know what, let's 483 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:10,679 Speaker 1: avoid the N s D, SEC and FINRA because you 484 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:13,400 Speaker 1: know what they're they're wild cards. They're the worst part 485 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:17,399 Speaker 1: of the government. That's really fascinating you. I know you personally, 486 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 1: I don't know these people. I know, I know you're 487 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:22,080 Speaker 1: friendly with Mark Cuban. When we did the interview with Mark, 488 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:26,080 Speaker 1: you're basically quoting from his playbook. He went off on 489 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: a on a jihad for ten he has more reason. Right, 490 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:34,399 Speaker 1: I was involved criminal. They didn't mean no wrong. The 491 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:37,480 Speaker 1: finn run any s D, I, like an idiot, take 492 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:40,359 Speaker 1: full responsibility for not understanding what I was doing. I 493 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:42,359 Speaker 1: wasn't a criminal. I was involved with the criminal. So 494 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:45,199 Speaker 1: this is a different reason. I just look at it 495 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:51,159 Speaker 1: as like Google, the greatest company we've ever seen, refuses 496 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:56,040 Speaker 1: to challenge Bloomberg or the or nasdak cme the market 497 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:58,399 Speaker 1: makers are the biggest market maker in the world. I 498 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:00,240 Speaker 1: don't think with the sec and finright, we want to 499 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 1: be we don't want to go there. That is how 500 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:04,200 Speaker 1: I would decide that. That's the difference between East Coast 501 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,080 Speaker 1: and West coast. And that's why nastac that story. That's 502 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:09,399 Speaker 1: why it's still combat. But it's coming, man, it is coming. 503 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 1: And by the way, there's end a rounds with bitcoin 504 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,200 Speaker 1: in the blockchain. Uh. Google's an investor with me and 505 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:17,399 Speaker 1: robin Hood and many financial startups. Now they're getting so 506 00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 1: buch sort of financial startups. Data Fox, which is kind 507 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:23,919 Speaker 1: of like a which I'm an investor company. No, no, no, 508 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:27,040 Speaker 1: it's just a way to organize private company information. So 509 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:29,760 Speaker 1: it's kind of like a NASDAC for private companies. That's interesting, 510 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:33,080 Speaker 1: very interesting. Uh, they're involved in robin Hood with me, 511 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:35,800 Speaker 1: which is a broker dealer, a mobile broker deal I 512 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:37,880 Speaker 1: call it the Uber of trading, which is my favorite 513 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:40,720 Speaker 1: startup at the moment. They are involved in Lending Club, 514 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:44,840 Speaker 1: They're involved in Uber, they are involved in uh so 515 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 1: many financial startups that you don't know, and Uber being 516 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:50,199 Speaker 1: and Lending comb being two of the biggest ones. So 517 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:54,200 Speaker 1: they're backdooring into this space. They're they're buying their time patiently, 518 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:57,800 Speaker 1: and uh you know, it's going to be exciting next 519 00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:01,040 Speaker 1: ten fifteen years in finance. I'm very bullish on fintech. 520 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:03,440 Speaker 1: So so let's talk So there's fintech, let's talk about 521 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 1: a couple of other technologies, wearables, you mentioned bitcoin, nano genomics, biotech. 522 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:13,359 Speaker 1: What what space coming down the road is really exciting 523 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,640 Speaker 1: beyond fintech. Well, they talk about big data and fintech. 524 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:19,200 Speaker 1: I think that's a bit of a Bologna maneuver. I 525 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:22,399 Speaker 1: think Bloomberg has got a great handle on big data 526 00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:24,840 Speaker 1: on markets. I think big data as it applies to 527 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:28,359 Speaker 1: genetics is obviously the cloud computing. So so all this 528 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:32,080 Speaker 1: technology applied to you're seeing the biotech. Nobody understands them, 529 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:35,240 Speaker 1: nobody owns them, right, it's been a five year bull run. 530 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:39,800 Speaker 1: They were, they've had a huge understand But when people 531 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:43,560 Speaker 1: really start owning these things, they're still not talked about, 532 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:48,040 Speaker 1: Like on CNBC, BBC still shutters on Fanny May, City 533 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:54,240 Speaker 1: Bank old analysts that Google Apple, When was the last 534 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:56,879 Speaker 1: time they really dug in for months? On biotech it's coming, 535 00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:59,320 Speaker 1: I'm not that's a bubble. That's the closest we have 536 00:27:59,359 --> 00:28:02,520 Speaker 1: to a bubble is what is biotech but a time 537 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,560 Speaker 1: But nobody's talking about biotech. But I'm saying they can 538 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:08,520 Speaker 1: double during that last phase. But they've you know, they've 539 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:10,840 Speaker 1: definitely had a great run, you know, the leader since 540 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,200 Speaker 1: the bottom of aile way. The the amazing thing about 541 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 1: biotech is any one of these companies can easily put 542 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:21,520 Speaker 1: out a billion dollar product if it hits. And the 543 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:26,040 Speaker 1: traditional way of putting out a new drug is you're 544 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:29,000 Speaker 1: spending three four five million dollars in R and D 545 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 1: and but no, you don't have to and and so 546 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,560 Speaker 1: you buy one dollar. Company could come from biotech. You know, 547 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:38,520 Speaker 1: everybody's focused on Apple and Google, but let's face it, 548 00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:41,280 Speaker 1: it could come from a biotech company. Someone who can 549 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: help us live to a hundred heart company you know 550 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:46,680 Speaker 1: a global company that solves you know, helps me live 551 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:49,840 Speaker 1: ten years longer. Uh is could be a trillion dollars? 552 00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:54,080 Speaker 1: How far off are we to a cure not for 553 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:59,560 Speaker 1: cancer with a capital C, but your cancer that we 554 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:02,800 Speaker 1: take your genomic reading and identify exactly what we need 555 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:07,640 Speaker 1: to do to kill your specific runaway cells that are 556 00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:12,400 Speaker 1: unique to you. You and I are yeah, I'm a 557 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:16,320 Speaker 1: little older. Yes, so we're screwed. But our kids may 558 00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:20,480 Speaker 1: live till they're hundred very easily. And that goes to 559 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:24,080 Speaker 1: why I'm investing in fintech. My kid's generation doesn't like 560 00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:27,880 Speaker 1: what's retirement. I have a mobile phone, I have have Uber. 561 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:30,640 Speaker 1: I'm gonna live till I'm a hundred. You're the idiots. 562 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,840 Speaker 1: Uh you know this is uh, this is why you 563 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:36,000 Speaker 1: have to rethink how things are done. We have this 564 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 1: long Schwab generation, which I'm bullish on Schwab but and 565 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:43,280 Speaker 1: I own the stock. But they don't understand how to 566 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:45,320 Speaker 1: think like a fifteen year old whose whole life is 567 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:50,000 Speaker 1: on a phone. Every message disappears in snapchat, every car 568 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 1: is on demand. They can get shows up and then 569 00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:57,760 Speaker 1: Netflix for all my content that is my life and 570 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:00,719 Speaker 1: my iPhone or in my droid. So if you think 571 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 1: you can understand what's going through a millennial's head, you're 572 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:06,040 Speaker 1: just lying to yourself, and that's a beautiful opportunity. I've 573 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:09,680 Speaker 1: been speaking with Howard Linson of Social Leverage. He's an 574 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:15,280 Speaker 1: angel investor and venture capitalist. If you enjoy this conversation, 575 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:17,840 Speaker 1: be sure and check out our podcast extras, where we 576 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:22,120 Speaker 1: continue speaking at great length about these and other subjects. 577 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:26,760 Speaker 1: You can also check out the entire archive of past podcasts. 578 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:29,680 Speaker 1: You can find that at Bloomberg dot com or on 579 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:33,480 Speaker 1: Apple iTunes. Be sure and follow me on Twitter at Ridholts. 580 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,920 Speaker 1: Check out my daily blog at Ridholtz dot com, or 581 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:41,400 Speaker 1: read my daily column on Bloomberg View dot com. I'm 582 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: Barry Ridholts. You're listening to Masters in Business on Bloomberg Radio. 583 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:50,440 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Barry Ridholts, and you're 584 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:54,640 Speaker 1: listening to Masters in Business on Bloomberg Radio. This is 585 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:56,840 Speaker 1: my favorite part where I don't have to worry about 586 00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:00,280 Speaker 1: reminding you that there are no commercials or anything else. 587 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:05,840 Speaker 1: My guest is an old friend today, Howard Lindson, have Aldwie, 588 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 1: how weird, how weird? How weird? So I know Howie 589 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:12,000 Speaker 1: for a long time. Um, what is it about people 590 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:15,920 Speaker 1: like you and Kedroski coming down here from Canada trying 591 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 1: to eat our launch here in the States. What he 592 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:22,760 Speaker 1: truly he's from Vancouver. That's as opposed to Toronto, which 593 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: is merely situated across the border. State right, it's the 594 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:31,280 Speaker 1: it's I mean, Paul is an academic, a good investor 595 00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:36,120 Speaker 1: in a smart cookie. Um, I think I think we're explorers, 596 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:39,440 Speaker 1: right or anybody who explores, uh is not going to 597 00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:42,440 Speaker 1: choose the Yukon. They're going to choose California. So a 598 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:46,800 Speaker 1: Canadian explorers prefer to come south people better weather, Yeah, 599 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,760 Speaker 1: more more, You're not just doing oil and timber. And 600 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 1: And that was the one guy from my friends that 601 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:55,400 Speaker 1: just just wanted to come to the States. I love 602 00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:58,120 Speaker 1: the desert. I moved to Arizona and now I love 603 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:02,160 Speaker 1: the beach. I think a mayor, as a Canadian in America, 604 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:06,400 Speaker 1: I look at politics and it disappoints me because we 605 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 1: have so much good that we could do, and I 606 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:12,680 Speaker 1: just you know, it's been so good to me living 607 00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:15,720 Speaker 1: in America. With the size of a market, it's always 608 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:18,680 Speaker 1: disappointing to see the negative news. I don't watch TV 609 00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:22,440 Speaker 1: anymore because it's impossible to gauge the negativity. It's just 610 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:26,200 Speaker 1: negative two seven. Can I tell you I haven't watched 611 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:29,720 Speaker 1: live TV to be fair, and my wife flips on 612 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:33,040 Speaker 1: um CBS to get the weather in the morning and 613 00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:36,280 Speaker 1: when I'm sitting at my desk at four thirty writing 614 00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:40,800 Speaker 1: the morning commentary. But other than that, we never watch 615 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:46,680 Speaker 1: live TV. Watch the watch TV. Any of the top 616 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 1: investors if they're watching TV and be shocked, it's either 617 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:51,760 Speaker 1: something that I wanted to see that I DV yard 618 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:55,280 Speaker 1: or something that I specifically hunted. By the way, so 619 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:59,680 Speaker 1: I've used Apple TV. Everything on Apple TV is it's 620 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:02,440 Speaker 1: net flicks, put every plus everything else. But where I 621 00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:06,360 Speaker 1: live up in the Woods, we have Dish instead of cable, 622 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:10,720 Speaker 1: and now Dish has Netflix built into them. You're lucky. 623 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:13,360 Speaker 1: I'm stuck on Tyre Moarner from the moment. I don't 624 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:15,120 Speaker 1: think there's a work. You can move to Dish if 625 00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:17,320 Speaker 1: you want, you can move to satellite of you. It's 626 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 1: like it's like Wells Fargo. I cannot believe what they 627 00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:23,040 Speaker 1: put me through yesterday with fraud. You know, I'm in 628 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:26,000 Speaker 1: New York trying to spend money at Lululu Iman then 629 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: they've decided my card to stolen despite you purchasing a 630 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,880 Speaker 1: plane ticket to come to New York City. So I 631 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:37,120 Speaker 1: think you talk about big data. That's dumb day small data. No, 632 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,040 Speaker 1: they can't do small data like pick up the phone. 633 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:41,800 Speaker 1: They have my cell number, call me uh and then 634 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:45,960 Speaker 1: I give Wells Fargo, my name, my social my shoe size, 635 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:50,440 Speaker 1: and they asked for my They asked for my Internet online. Yes, 636 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:52,640 Speaker 1: some number, would I know? I don't know. Driving in 637 00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:54,920 Speaker 1: a car trying to spend money at Lulu with your 638 00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:57,600 Speaker 1: credit card? Can I get my money? No? Can I 639 00:33:57,600 --> 00:34:00,240 Speaker 1: tell you what I found? Very effective? The systems are okay, 640 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:02,880 Speaker 1: this is what makes me bullish. So so never I 641 00:34:02,920 --> 00:34:05,400 Speaker 1: will do everything I can to talk badly about Wells 642 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:11,120 Speaker 1: far going to with TARP money, holding me iron zero interest, 643 00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:13,720 Speaker 1: holding me hostage while I try to try and spend 644 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:17,040 Speaker 1: money in the economy. So we know what. So we 645 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:20,239 Speaker 1: have two separate in our house. In our household, we 646 00:34:20,280 --> 00:34:25,440 Speaker 1: have two separate um JP Morgan Chase accounts. The first 647 00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:28,440 Speaker 1: one began as the Dime, which was brought by Chemical, 648 00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:30,879 Speaker 1: which was brought by Manny Have and it ultimately ended 649 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:36,000 Speaker 1: up in JP Morgan. The second was Washington Mutual, which 650 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:38,080 Speaker 1: in the middle of the financial collapse, the fd I 651 00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:41,480 Speaker 1: c auctioned off to JP Morris. So now all of 652 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:45,279 Speaker 1: our cancer JP Morgan, and we we know that we're 653 00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:48,359 Speaker 1: gonna get this headache. So anytime we travel abroad, we 654 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:51,279 Speaker 1: go to Chase and we say, look, we're gonna be 655 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:55,800 Speaker 1: in this country or this island, and this isn't fraud, 656 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:59,239 Speaker 1: it's us. Hi, here's our I D it's US. So 657 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:02,040 Speaker 1: expect from the fifth to the tenth or whatever it is, 658 00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:04,080 Speaker 1: the first of the eighth, we're gonna be sitting on 659 00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:06,720 Speaker 1: a beach and here's the hotel, and don't be surprised 660 00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:09,080 Speaker 1: when you get thinks. So what happens We go to 661 00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:13,319 Speaker 1: the hotel, give them the card immediately. What bounces back 662 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:15,480 Speaker 1: is UM, you have to contact the bank they have 663 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:18,760 Speaker 1: a I did this previously, So now what I've started 664 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:21,600 Speaker 1: doing is when that happens, I pull out the Amex 665 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:26,280 Speaker 1: and then when I don't get the transaction through UM Chase, 666 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:27,640 Speaker 1: I then call him up and say, hey, I just 667 00:35:27,719 --> 00:35:29,360 Speaker 1: want to let you know we dropped ten grand on 668 00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:33,799 Speaker 1: Amex because you idiots. Despite me saying I'm gonna be 669 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:36,439 Speaker 1: on I'm gonna be in this island at this date. 670 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:39,799 Speaker 1: And here's the hotel. You still kick the charge back, 671 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:42,440 Speaker 1: embarrassing me at the desk, and the m X went 672 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:44,719 Speaker 1: right through. Well, they're not embarrassing you, because now that 673 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:47,520 Speaker 1: happens to everybody, But it's annoying. You're annoying me if not. 674 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:50,880 Speaker 1: And here's what happens. I Meanwhile, I'm I tweet I 675 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:52,799 Speaker 1: hate Wells Fargo. What do I get today? A d 676 00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:56,280 Speaker 1: M or a question from Wells Fargo? Pack the freaking phone. 677 00:35:56,680 --> 00:36:00,360 Speaker 1: Oh no, that's tree twittering. So let me tell you 678 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:02,000 Speaker 1: you're gonna do I don't want to talk to them 679 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:04,520 Speaker 1: ever again. They're done. So one of the great advantages 680 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:06,640 Speaker 1: of working hard in this country and getting lucky a 681 00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:09,800 Speaker 1: few times is we're in this age where everything's robot. 682 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:11,759 Speaker 1: Oh you gotta cut fees. You gotta cut fees. I say, 683 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:14,280 Speaker 1: the number one thing you should pay for is financial 684 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:17,200 Speaker 1: advice and for I mean obviously gotta find the right 685 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:22,880 Speaker 1: financial advice and for service. I just the greatest gift 686 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:27,280 Speaker 1: I've ever had is having a uh high net worth 687 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:30,480 Speaker 1: Morgan Stanley account. I pick up the phone. Yea, I 688 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:33,239 Speaker 1: need a wired that it's done. Okay, I don't care 689 00:36:33,239 --> 00:36:35,520 Speaker 1: what they're charging me. I just wanted to want it 690 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:38,840 Speaker 1: done professionally, on time, on demand. I want my trades 691 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:42,040 Speaker 1: done on demand. I want I want to talk to somebody. 692 00:36:42,600 --> 00:36:46,680 Speaker 1: I don't want to any But one of the benefits 693 00:36:46,719 --> 00:36:51,120 Speaker 1: of of working hard, that is the difference between the 694 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:55,440 Speaker 1: robo advisors and the other robo advisor is geared to 695 00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:59,240 Speaker 1: be very inexpensive. In my office lift Off, we set 696 00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:02,400 Speaker 1: up a row Bowl advisor because we have clients that 697 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:06,480 Speaker 1: and we have potential clients that don't want to pay that. 698 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:08,839 Speaker 1: Not if they're paying, you know, they still think they 699 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:11,840 Speaker 1: can call you. And I believe in it at many levels. 700 00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:17,200 Speaker 1: I'm just saying one of the greatest we and we enough. 701 00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:20,759 Speaker 1: Have you called Amazon to have No, you can't. That's 702 00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:22,760 Speaker 1: part of the reason it's so an expense. No, I understand, 703 00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:25,080 Speaker 1: you know, pick up the phone and call PayPal to 704 00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:27,919 Speaker 1: complain about a mistake, and it can happen. That's why 705 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:33,439 Speaker 1: it's so biggest change coming is fintech, Wells, Fargo, all 706 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:36,239 Speaker 1: these banks they got their free paths and two eight 707 00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:41,520 Speaker 1: they maybe they've been unfairly punished, uh and fines would 708 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:44,800 Speaker 1: be interesting thing about the fines is it's been a 709 00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:47,560 Speaker 1: distraction for the banks, and so as much as they've 710 00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:50,920 Speaker 1: had the cash to pay these things, they the gramlins 711 00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:55,799 Speaker 1: are loose, whether it's payments or whether it's now transfer wise, 712 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:59,320 Speaker 1: it's just raised money. So you can do uh wires 713 00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:03,960 Speaker 1: inter country without the money ever crossing border genius friend 714 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,120 Speaker 1: of mine investor Roger in Berg, or whether it's Robin 715 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:09,919 Speaker 1: Hood or whether it's bitcoin, or whether it's just Apple Pay, 716 00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:12,239 Speaker 1: which still is not quite there because the banks are 717 00:38:12,239 --> 00:38:14,799 Speaker 1: still involved, and so I refused to use it. Well, 718 00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:18,399 Speaker 1: Apple has all these credit cards to Apple Pay because 719 00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:20,520 Speaker 1: it could have been exactly what I want them to 720 00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:22,239 Speaker 1: have a bank. Yeah, I understand they don't want to 721 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:24,319 Speaker 1: mean anything to me. Well, they need to do it. 722 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:26,920 Speaker 1: And that's so I said about the banking. Google and 723 00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:29,719 Speaker 1: Apples still have that. That's not what they do, that's 724 00:38:29,719 --> 00:38:31,480 Speaker 1: not what they're interesting to understand. But there's got to 725 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:34,080 Speaker 1: be another There's gotta be something better than seeing the 726 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:36,080 Speaker 1: Chase logo. I don't want them to see a nickel 727 00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:40,000 Speaker 1: of my money. I don't trust them. They don't pay me. Uh, 728 00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:42,480 Speaker 1: they waste money on real estate and services that I 729 00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:46,760 Speaker 1: don't want, so you effectively invented the cash tag on Twitter. 730 00:38:47,280 --> 00:38:50,680 Speaker 1: It's called the hashtag, it's called the cash. They they 731 00:38:50,719 --> 00:38:53,680 Speaker 1: have now stolen that idea and called it the cash 732 00:38:53,760 --> 00:38:56,240 Speaker 1: like it hasn't heard us. We've been growing really fast, 733 00:38:56,719 --> 00:38:58,960 Speaker 1: but you know, it's not something that we felt that 734 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,080 Speaker 1: we could patent. All they're signed in front of a 735 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:05,640 Speaker 1: symbol and was a language that when Twitter started, I 736 00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:07,600 Speaker 1: was inspired to start to start stock twits. I called 737 00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:09,279 Speaker 1: Fred Wilson. I said, Fred, what do you think? He goes, 738 00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:11,759 Speaker 1: this is genius, but I can't invest because I first 739 00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:13,960 Speaker 1: see this is where Fred's genius comes in. He could 740 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:15,320 Speaker 1: see the future and say, you know, I'm gonna be 741 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:17,480 Speaker 1: in a board meeting a Twitter and they're gonna be like, 742 00:39:18,400 --> 00:39:20,560 Speaker 1: you know, I just don't wanna I foresee a prom 743 00:39:20,560 --> 00:39:23,279 Speaker 1: So he passed. But also it was very bullish on 744 00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:26,800 Speaker 1: the idea. Twitter didn't think it was interesting. So we started, 745 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:29,920 Speaker 1: you know, using a couple hundred thousand people, right, it's 746 00:39:29,960 --> 00:39:31,800 Speaker 1: a lot of half a million people, a hundred thousand 747 00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:35,800 Speaker 1: regular lunatics. Every month, I've been doing the digging, like really, 748 00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:39,680 Speaker 1: our training tickers really means something because of our messages 749 00:39:39,719 --> 00:39:42,200 Speaker 1: today are on just stock twits. They don't see the 750 00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:44,640 Speaker 1: light of day. On Twitter. Sixty one percent of our 751 00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:47,080 Speaker 1: messages on a daily basis now have the cash text. 752 00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:49,800 Speaker 1: So there's really a lot of intent on stock twits. 753 00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:53,560 Speaker 1: You know, May you may not like day trading, but 754 00:39:53,640 --> 00:39:55,680 Speaker 1: the traders are the market makers. They are the ones 755 00:39:55,719 --> 00:39:58,040 Speaker 1: that talk about what's important. So our job is to 756 00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:00,880 Speaker 1: surface that stuff. But let's get to some questions on 757 00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:05,919 Speaker 1: stuff that we um we missed earlier. Um, I'm gonna 758 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:08,040 Speaker 1: throw some stuff out you and I feel free to 759 00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:09,640 Speaker 1: go as longer as short as you want on any 760 00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:12,040 Speaker 1: of these. So we briefly touched on this, but we 761 00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:14,799 Speaker 1: didn't spend a lot of time on it. What are 762 00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:19,120 Speaker 1: some of the similarities and differences between startup investing and 763 00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:22,520 Speaker 1: buying regular stocks? Yeah, one of my favorite subjects. So 764 00:40:22,680 --> 00:40:25,319 Speaker 1: started a complete opposite the way I look at it. 765 00:40:25,640 --> 00:40:28,600 Speaker 1: You know, I think I've dropped earlier that if if 766 00:40:28,640 --> 00:40:30,719 Speaker 1: I'm looking at stock I assume my paper is the 767 00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:32,560 Speaker 1: worst paper in the world, I wipe my butt with it. 768 00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:34,960 Speaker 1: I don't want the paper out of one, I don't 769 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:38,560 Speaker 1: want the searchs. I just assume everything's corrupt. So when 770 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:40,480 Speaker 1: I buy a stock, I think the world's were against me. 771 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:43,200 Speaker 1: First of all, I don't care about the information that 772 00:40:43,239 --> 00:40:46,200 Speaker 1: I'm getting. I have a catalyst in mind. I look 773 00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:49,080 Speaker 1: at price and volume characteristics of stocks. I like to 774 00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:51,680 Speaker 1: buy stocks that are at or near all time highs 775 00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:55,480 Speaker 1: or five year highs, which means that frowned upon the 776 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:58,200 Speaker 1: word momentumus, which means that, which means when we're in 777 00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:01,680 Speaker 1: a correction or sessions and you're just anything well, and 778 00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:03,919 Speaker 1: I get hurt at the end of a run, and 779 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:05,719 Speaker 1: I take my lumps at the end of a run, 780 00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:08,120 Speaker 1: but you're missing that whole down down, I hope if 781 00:41:08,120 --> 00:41:10,040 Speaker 1: I'm doing my job right, I'm missing the whole most 782 00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:12,120 Speaker 1: of it, anything and and and in markets like this, 783 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:14,960 Speaker 1: it's been difficult because last February I got stopped out 784 00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:18,319 Speaker 1: of a lot of things you had pullback in last year, 785 00:41:18,360 --> 00:41:20,680 Speaker 1: and I haven't really found a good my portfolio. I 786 00:41:20,680 --> 00:41:22,839 Speaker 1: haven't found you know, I've had occasional winds, but it's 787 00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:26,240 Speaker 1: been choppy and whatever. So you want a trending market, 788 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:29,520 Speaker 1: not a range bound sadways, yeah, two steps forward, one 789 00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:32,160 Speaker 1: step back, everybody gets panicking. I mean, cash is not 790 00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:34,680 Speaker 1: a dirty word to me. My investors have known me 791 00:41:34,719 --> 00:41:37,680 Speaker 1: a long time, and I'm patient and I'm busy, So like, 792 00:41:37,719 --> 00:41:40,040 Speaker 1: I like easy markets, and I don't think we're in 793 00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:43,240 Speaker 1: an easy market no longer and easy an easy market 794 00:41:43,239 --> 00:41:45,839 Speaker 1: for bond people because it's been trending for twenty years, 795 00:41:45,840 --> 00:41:48,120 Speaker 1: but they're not a bond guy. So I've missed that. 796 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:51,280 Speaker 1: I definitely have missed biotech. I mean, I don't understand 797 00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:53,759 Speaker 1: the catalysts, and I don't understand the valuations, and I 798 00:41:53,800 --> 00:41:58,319 Speaker 1: don't use the products, and I'm too old, so I mean, 799 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:00,479 Speaker 1: you can only be an expertise in a few things. 800 00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:03,600 Speaker 1: So for stocks, I like to keep it simple. I 801 00:42:03,719 --> 00:42:05,799 Speaker 1: like to understand the catalyst. For me, Nike has been 802 00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:09,640 Speaker 1: a huge winner. Uh for me, Apple and Google have 803 00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:11,839 Speaker 1: been huge winners. There's been deep corrections along the way, 804 00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:14,960 Speaker 1: but I've stuck with them in one um. In the 805 00:42:15,120 --> 00:42:18,520 Speaker 1: private market is completely different. Private market, all I care about, 806 00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:22,720 Speaker 1: rightly or wrongly, as the team and the management and 807 00:42:23,320 --> 00:42:26,279 Speaker 1: the valuation, even the evaluation I said earlier, sometimes it's 808 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:28,359 Speaker 1: important to me it matters because I can't get out. 809 00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:32,800 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm gonna be in this. It's a combination 810 00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:35,200 Speaker 1: of both. But in the public markets, I want to pay. 811 00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:38,239 Speaker 1: I want the most liquid securities, right, I want to 812 00:42:38,280 --> 00:42:40,880 Speaker 1: see in And that matters to me. I don't care 813 00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:42,839 Speaker 1: about the valuation. I care about can I get out? 814 00:42:43,239 --> 00:42:46,160 Speaker 1: And the private markets I care. I know I can't 815 00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:48,279 Speaker 1: get out. So what matters to me is is this 816 00:42:48,360 --> 00:42:50,239 Speaker 1: management team wanted to get hit in the head for 817 00:42:50,280 --> 00:42:52,600 Speaker 1: six or seven years, because that's what it takes. You know, 818 00:42:52,680 --> 00:42:55,320 Speaker 1: now that I've been doing this for six years to 819 00:42:55,480 --> 00:42:59,120 Speaker 1: Mogil an example, being like, I don't know about twenty 820 00:42:59,120 --> 00:43:00,360 Speaker 1: I don't know if I want to be in companies 821 00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:03,480 Speaker 1: that take twenty years. No, No, you you've been doing this, yeah, 822 00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:05,160 Speaker 1: but I mean I've been in deals now and I 823 00:43:05,200 --> 00:43:08,719 Speaker 1: have It's like investing in horses, are investing in seeds, right, 824 00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:13,600 Speaker 1: you have to continually invest in crops to make money, right, 825 00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:15,960 Speaker 1: because it's gonna be wipeouts. There's gonna be a year 826 00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:17,920 Speaker 1: of a group of bad investors, are going to be 827 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:22,480 Speaker 1: a group where everybody got the technology wrong, and you know, 828 00:43:22,560 --> 00:43:26,400 Speaker 1: so you have to continually place bets. And that's different 829 00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:29,359 Speaker 1: building the ladder, building an angel investing ladder, I call 830 00:43:29,440 --> 00:43:32,560 Speaker 1: it a ladder, or I call it crops. You know, 831 00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:36,000 Speaker 1: you can't be biased. Right, when my investors give me money, 832 00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:38,080 Speaker 1: it should be for three or four funds. It shouldn't 833 00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:41,799 Speaker 1: be for one fund because then they're cherry picking. And yeah, 834 00:43:41,840 --> 00:43:45,400 Speaker 1: they're cherry picking. And technology changes, so you know, the 835 00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:48,040 Speaker 1: social wave of his past, what's the new wave? You know, 836 00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:51,000 Speaker 1: I'm not so much doing hardware a wearables um, but 837 00:43:51,160 --> 00:43:54,280 Speaker 1: I'm more focused on fintech, okay, and I'm learning quickly 838 00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:57,080 Speaker 1: that I've evolved from social to fintech and even and 839 00:43:57,880 --> 00:44:00,759 Speaker 1: social right now. But it's a much small or niche, 840 00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:03,560 Speaker 1: you know. It's you're not going to get billion dollar 841 00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:07,200 Speaker 1: companies and niches, so you have to accordingly adjust your 842 00:44:07,239 --> 00:44:11,239 Speaker 1: expectations and evaluations and all that stuff according to the 843 00:44:11,360 --> 00:44:12,879 Speaker 1: niche that you're in. But I think we're in an 844 00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:16,399 Speaker 1: era of the mega niche where mega nie. Yeah, we're 845 00:44:16,520 --> 00:44:20,720 Speaker 1: in China, we chat dominates, Twitter doesn't dominate, or Facebook 846 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:23,680 Speaker 1: doesn't dominate, and the rest of the world Facebook dominates, 847 00:44:23,680 --> 00:44:28,719 Speaker 1: Twitter dominates in certain other areas, LinkedIn dominates. But now 848 00:44:28,760 --> 00:44:31,319 Speaker 1: we get into the air where with all those networks proliferating, 849 00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:33,839 Speaker 1: now you've got to focus on drilling deep. Let's talk 850 00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:36,200 Speaker 1: about linked In a second, Yeah, they're I think they're 851 00:44:36,239 --> 00:44:40,439 Speaker 1: the best of the of the business networks because I 852 00:44:40,440 --> 00:44:43,680 Speaker 1: I find that LinkedIn for me personally. Now, obviously you're 853 00:44:43,719 --> 00:44:47,680 Speaker 1: not hiring, well, we have hired from LinkedIn. The problem 854 00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:50,200 Speaker 1: is the other eleven months when we're not putting out 855 00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:55,200 Speaker 1: a request for we need a new setifically, the other 856 00:44:55,200 --> 00:44:57,600 Speaker 1: eleven months people are just bearing me with resumes that 857 00:44:57,600 --> 00:45:00,400 Speaker 1: I have no interest in. Hi, can can you be 858 00:45:00,480 --> 00:45:03,239 Speaker 1: in my network? Now? That person who doesn't listen to 859 00:45:03,280 --> 00:45:05,200 Speaker 1: you and say you're not if when you're not using 860 00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:07,000 Speaker 1: a network and people are still hitting you over the head, 861 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:09,319 Speaker 1: they're not using the network properly, so they're probably not. 862 00:45:09,600 --> 00:45:13,759 Speaker 1: Isn't that endemic to LinkedIn and many other networks? It's not, 863 00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:16,680 Speaker 1: but that's the mistake that people make. They make fun 864 00:45:16,680 --> 00:45:19,640 Speaker 1: of LinkedIn because of that, but they're not understanding that. Really, 865 00:45:19,920 --> 00:45:23,200 Speaker 1: it's really uh the other way scenario. The companies that 866 00:45:23,239 --> 00:45:25,920 Speaker 1: are hiring are using it like crazy. Can I tell 867 00:45:25,960 --> 00:45:28,480 Speaker 1: you something? So you have every time we've made a 868 00:45:28,520 --> 00:45:31,520 Speaker 1: major higher all of our hires have come from Lincoln 869 00:45:31,800 --> 00:45:34,080 Speaker 1: And if you're a growth company, that's what you live on. Yeah, No, 870 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:39,320 Speaker 1: it's terrific. The problem is. So. The nice thing is 871 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:41,120 Speaker 1: when you say don't know how to use social, some 872 00:45:41,160 --> 00:45:42,719 Speaker 1: people will walk up to you on the street and 873 00:45:42,840 --> 00:45:46,160 Speaker 1: like immediately a costume. Do they know Social? They're idiots. 874 00:45:46,160 --> 00:45:48,480 Speaker 1: So there's idiots out there, like people know how to 875 00:45:48,560 --> 00:45:51,960 Speaker 1: use the tools you mentioned as far ago. Ye, they're 876 00:45:52,200 --> 00:45:54,359 Speaker 1: m when they could have just called me, well, they 877 00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:57,120 Speaker 1: can't DM me, you're not following, damn me. But they're 878 00:45:57,160 --> 00:46:01,399 Speaker 1: now publicly embarrassing themselves. Every want to with every now 879 00:46:01,440 --> 00:46:04,200 Speaker 1: and again, I will be so I take the same 880 00:46:04,239 --> 00:46:06,560 Speaker 1: train ride back and forth to work every day, and 881 00:46:06,560 --> 00:46:10,160 Speaker 1: I'm my little Verizon modem which I plug into my laptop, 882 00:46:10,440 --> 00:46:13,120 Speaker 1: which is fantastic because I get basically, i could leave 883 00:46:13,120 --> 00:46:15,680 Speaker 1: an hour early because I'm working on the train, I 884 00:46:15,680 --> 00:46:17,120 Speaker 1: mean on the way home, on the way in if 885 00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:19,879 Speaker 1: I want to come in later. I'm at work at 886 00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:23,680 Speaker 1: wherever I am with the laptop, and every there's a 887 00:46:23,719 --> 00:46:26,600 Speaker 1: couple of dead spots. You would think in New York City, 888 00:46:26,920 --> 00:46:30,359 Speaker 1: perhaps not Manhattan proper, but within the border of New 889 00:46:30,440 --> 00:46:33,719 Speaker 1: York City, my data service should be flawless. I know 890 00:46:33,800 --> 00:46:38,120 Speaker 1: we're not Singapore or other countries that have a good infrastructure, 891 00:46:38,400 --> 00:46:40,279 Speaker 1: but so every now and then I just get so 892 00:46:40,360 --> 00:46:44,920 Speaker 1: frustrated and I'll tweet about how angry I'm about how 893 00:46:45,040 --> 00:46:48,239 Speaker 1: terrible VERI Verizon Wireless is. The last time I did it, 894 00:46:48,760 --> 00:46:52,600 Speaker 1: a T and T Wireless comes at me. If so, 895 00:46:53,040 --> 00:46:55,480 Speaker 1: I turned to I responded back to them, I go, no, no, 896 00:46:55,640 --> 00:46:58,960 Speaker 1: I'm with Verizon Wireless because you guys are so awful. 897 00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:02,200 Speaker 1: I went to that they're the tallest midget in the room. 898 00:47:03,160 --> 00:47:05,799 Speaker 1: They're the best, but only because the rest of you 899 00:47:05,880 --> 00:47:08,359 Speaker 1: are so Often if these companies new And by the way, 900 00:47:08,400 --> 00:47:11,760 Speaker 1: I haven't made a lot of money in my private 901 00:47:11,800 --> 00:47:15,600 Speaker 1: investing along customer support. So one of my other well 902 00:47:15,600 --> 00:47:18,000 Speaker 1: my other thing was customer support. When social came along, 903 00:47:18,040 --> 00:47:19,880 Speaker 1: I thought Twitter would be a great customer serce. So 904 00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:23,040 Speaker 1: we invested in Buddy Media, which got bought by a 905 00:47:23,080 --> 00:47:30,600 Speaker 1: Salesforce eight d s. Salesforce is an unbelievable company. Unbelievable company. 906 00:47:30,760 --> 00:47:33,800 Speaker 1: Some people hate the product. But I'm using relate i Q, 907 00:47:34,040 --> 00:47:36,239 Speaker 1: which is the dumb down version that they just played 908 00:47:36,280 --> 00:47:39,919 Speaker 1: quarterbillion for. It's a great product. Um that changed my life. 909 00:47:39,960 --> 00:47:43,960 Speaker 1: Semantic act in the eighties change remember that. So I 910 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:47,120 Speaker 1: am big believer in contact management and Benny Off running 911 00:47:47,160 --> 00:47:51,480 Speaker 1: the table. Uh's he's pretty much. This is who Mark 912 00:47:51,520 --> 00:47:54,080 Speaker 1: Beneof has been on how to choose the table sales 913 00:47:54,200 --> 00:47:58,520 Speaker 1: t is Salesforce found sales. So luckily for me, they 914 00:47:58,600 --> 00:48:01,840 Speaker 1: bought four companies of of mine over the years because 915 00:48:01,880 --> 00:48:05,240 Speaker 1: I believe in customer support as they've got a billion 916 00:48:05,239 --> 00:48:07,640 Speaker 1: dollars on companies that I was an angel investor, and 917 00:48:07,680 --> 00:48:10,400 Speaker 1: so I'm very grateful to them. But the media assistly 918 00:48:10,880 --> 00:48:14,480 Speaker 1: go instant. They've invested in in Bedley, on and on 919 00:48:14,520 --> 00:48:17,839 Speaker 1: and on, great great vision. For whatever they can't build, 920 00:48:17,880 --> 00:48:21,720 Speaker 1: they buy um, which a smart way. Here's what corporate 921 00:48:21,719 --> 00:48:25,600 Speaker 1: America doesn't know. They don't know how to use these tools, right. 922 00:48:26,160 --> 00:48:28,680 Speaker 1: Why are they not using the They use the tweets 923 00:48:28,680 --> 00:48:30,920 Speaker 1: when they should be using the phone. They use the 924 00:48:30,960 --> 00:48:33,640 Speaker 1: phone when they should be using the tweets. They're there's 925 00:48:33,960 --> 00:48:36,359 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. They don't have instinct. So 926 00:48:36,360 --> 00:48:40,480 Speaker 1: so I don't want to talk to Verizon or my airline. 927 00:48:40,719 --> 00:48:43,440 Speaker 1: I want to vent on Twitter. Doesn't mean they shouldn't 928 00:48:43,440 --> 00:48:46,160 Speaker 1: interrupt my vent. They should listen. And by the way, 929 00:48:46,160 --> 00:48:47,879 Speaker 1: if they really want to do something, if you really 930 00:48:47,920 --> 00:48:50,080 Speaker 1: have a voice, don't talk to me, send me ten 931 00:48:50,120 --> 00:48:52,040 Speaker 1: bucks in a coupon because I'm a good customer, or 932 00:48:53,239 --> 00:48:56,319 Speaker 1: or asking why you unhappy? Never asked me why if 933 00:48:56,360 --> 00:48:58,840 Speaker 1: I'm kid? How about fix what's not? I can't, of 934 00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:01,680 Speaker 1: course they can. They don't want to. You're on the train, 935 00:49:02,360 --> 00:49:04,200 Speaker 1: You're respected to be done by the time I get 936 00:49:04,239 --> 00:49:08,759 Speaker 1: into the understand. All they could say is Verizon is 937 00:49:08,760 --> 00:49:12,520 Speaker 1: a good example. Hey, if I'm complaining about this, put 938 00:49:12,560 --> 00:49:15,279 Speaker 1: some guy in a train, follow that and see where 939 00:49:15,280 --> 00:49:17,800 Speaker 1: the weak spots are and throw another damn tower. Okay, 940 00:49:17,840 --> 00:49:20,799 Speaker 1: but they can that, Hey, we heard you. But they 941 00:49:20,800 --> 00:49:24,280 Speaker 1: can also win a d M or or at messaging. Barry, 942 00:49:24,320 --> 00:49:26,120 Speaker 1: I see you know. They know that you have a 943 00:49:26,200 --> 00:49:28,040 Speaker 1: lot of followers, They know you have a lot of influence. 944 00:49:28,080 --> 00:49:30,120 Speaker 1: They could easily buy a service that would allow that 945 00:49:30,320 --> 00:49:33,680 Speaker 1: and send you ten bucks for your aggravation. I don't want. 946 00:49:34,640 --> 00:49:37,200 Speaker 1: I want the product to work the way it works 947 00:49:37,280 --> 00:49:41,200 Speaker 1: in Singapore, in London, in Berlin, you go anywhere outside 948 00:49:41,200 --> 00:49:43,600 Speaker 1: of the United States, the internet is faster and chief 949 00:49:44,120 --> 00:49:49,200 Speaker 1: the cell phone services. I think you should move. I 950 00:49:49,280 --> 00:49:51,600 Speaker 1: like Berlin. I enjoy every time I go to Berlin. 951 00:49:51,640 --> 00:49:56,240 Speaker 1: I have a great time. But probably probably the hippest, 952 00:49:56,280 --> 00:49:59,239 Speaker 1: hottest city in Europe right and has been for some time. 953 00:49:59,440 --> 00:50:02,800 Speaker 1: It's also the cheapest of all the European cities outside 954 00:50:02,800 --> 00:50:06,040 Speaker 1: of Greece. So um, But that's not the issue. The 955 00:50:06,080 --> 00:50:09,040 Speaker 1: issue is you try a lot of America. What isn't 956 00:50:09,080 --> 00:50:11,480 Speaker 1: the stats something like one in four Americans have a 957 00:50:11,520 --> 00:50:15,960 Speaker 1: passport you travel abroad, And even though in many ways 958 00:50:16,040 --> 00:50:19,399 Speaker 1: we live in a great country, we've allowed a lot 959 00:50:19,440 --> 00:50:22,359 Speaker 1: of other people, a lot of other countries to pass us. 960 00:50:22,360 --> 00:50:27,320 Speaker 1: We're the forrest country that had this spectacular national highway 961 00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:31,200 Speaker 1: system which is now falling into disrepair, and everybody else 962 00:50:31,280 --> 00:50:34,080 Speaker 1: leapt fraud us because they started twenty thirty years after us. 963 00:50:34,480 --> 00:50:37,680 Speaker 1: Everything we have is on a relative basis. Are two 964 00:50:37,719 --> 00:50:42,879 Speaker 1: flaws are uh not keeping our infrastructure up to speed? Tremendous? Okay, 965 00:50:42,880 --> 00:50:46,080 Speaker 1: so that's number one money wasted on that. We're not 966 00:50:46,200 --> 00:50:49,800 Speaker 1: helping the poor hare we're helping everybody else. The second 967 00:50:49,800 --> 00:50:53,160 Speaker 1: thing is education we're taking I look at my kids 968 00:50:53,160 --> 00:50:55,680 Speaker 1: and in their special kids in my opinion, but they're 969 00:50:55,719 --> 00:50:57,960 Speaker 1: all thrown in the same funnel to the wider the 970 00:50:57,960 --> 00:51:01,440 Speaker 1: funnel at the tops getting wider in and the testing 971 00:51:01,480 --> 00:51:06,120 Speaker 1: gets weirder, meaning more kids are different. Kids have Google today, 972 00:51:06,200 --> 00:51:09,000 Speaker 1: the testing does well because kids have Google today. To 973 00:51:09,120 --> 00:51:11,480 Speaker 1: have any test in an era of Google that's the 974 00:51:11,520 --> 00:51:15,399 Speaker 1: same as twenty years ago is ridiculous. Right, My kid 975 00:51:15,640 --> 00:51:18,320 Speaker 1: shouldn't be punished for understanding how to use Google. It 976 00:51:18,440 --> 00:51:21,680 Speaker 1: just changed education and they have It's going to be 977 00:51:21,680 --> 00:51:24,200 Speaker 1: a decade long understand. But you're asking what the really 978 00:51:24,200 --> 00:51:25,880 Speaker 1: big issue? And then the third one is banded with 979 00:51:26,040 --> 00:51:28,120 Speaker 1: I don't understand how country this great can't have the 980 00:51:28,160 --> 00:51:32,080 Speaker 1: best band with elsewhere. Canswer it true that calls itself 981 00:51:32,080 --> 00:51:37,239 Speaker 1: democratic and free to be trailering and anything Internet. Well, 982 00:51:37,280 --> 00:51:39,400 Speaker 1: the answer is when you go to Singapore, you go 983 00:51:39,440 --> 00:51:41,680 Speaker 1: to Hong Kong, the rule is, oh, you want to 984 00:51:41,680 --> 00:51:44,920 Speaker 1: be an Internet provider. These are the minimum require absolutely, 985 00:51:44,920 --> 00:51:46,640 Speaker 1: and we look at that as a nanny state in 986 00:51:46,640 --> 00:51:50,760 Speaker 1: the United States. But it's like certain, why right, Sorry, hey, listen, 987 00:51:50,920 --> 00:51:52,759 Speaker 1: You're free to do whatever you want as long as 988 00:51:52,800 --> 00:51:56,560 Speaker 1: it's one gigabyte up and down, anything that get to it. 989 00:51:56,680 --> 00:52:00,239 Speaker 1: Anything less than that, we're not interested. Here's the floor. Now, 990 00:52:00,280 --> 00:52:03,440 Speaker 1: everybody compete with this floor. Were not that complicated. We're 991 00:52:03,520 --> 00:52:06,040 Speaker 1: on the same page here. If you give people the tools, 992 00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:09,520 Speaker 1: the smart people will use them, and the country will 993 00:52:09,520 --> 00:52:14,200 Speaker 1: explode the peloton situation. Everybody will nothing wrong. I mean, 994 00:52:14,239 --> 00:52:15,960 Speaker 1: you know, you gotta watch out for the blood doping, 995 00:52:15,960 --> 00:52:17,560 Speaker 1: and you gotta watch out for the tricks, and you 996 00:52:17,600 --> 00:52:19,719 Speaker 1: gotta watch up for the criminals, the outliers, and you 997 00:52:19,800 --> 00:52:22,360 Speaker 1: punish the outliers. You don't, you know, we live in 998 00:52:22,400 --> 00:52:25,319 Speaker 1: a country where we're not punishing the outliers and we're 999 00:52:25,320 --> 00:52:29,160 Speaker 1: not encouraging the peloton. So let's you know, and I 1000 00:52:29,200 --> 00:52:31,480 Speaker 1: and I and I and I relate everything to sports 1001 00:52:31,480 --> 00:52:35,520 Speaker 1: because it's pure right. Other than the blood doping. Peloton 1002 00:52:35,760 --> 00:52:38,840 Speaker 1: has been the same since the race started. You the 1003 00:52:39,280 --> 00:52:42,440 Speaker 1: great riders figure out when strategically to break free. But 1004 00:52:42,520 --> 00:52:45,680 Speaker 1: the peloton is the pelotoni United States, our peloton of 1005 00:52:45,760 --> 00:52:48,719 Speaker 1: internet system is behind. Everybody else's behind the keep up, 1006 00:52:49,080 --> 00:52:51,759 Speaker 1: no excuse for that and the money wasted on Why 1007 00:52:51,800 --> 00:52:54,160 Speaker 1: is there not a San Francisco l a train, a 1008 00:52:54,160 --> 00:52:57,719 Speaker 1: bullet train. There is no excuse period. Why can't I 1009 00:52:57,840 --> 00:53:01,600 Speaker 1: get there's no so since mentioned blood doping, let's let's 1010 00:53:01,640 --> 00:53:05,520 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about the Federal Reserve because um, 1011 00:53:05,600 --> 00:53:07,560 Speaker 1: you you had not a great subject of mind because 1012 00:53:07,560 --> 00:53:10,440 Speaker 1: I don't really understand. But well, but here's the question. 1013 00:53:10,520 --> 00:53:14,440 Speaker 1: So you mentioned earlier rates are at zero. You know 1014 00:53:14,719 --> 00:53:18,840 Speaker 1: ZERP quantitative easing, the FED has tilted the playing field. 1015 00:53:19,280 --> 00:53:21,279 Speaker 1: Let's bring it back to the area of your expertise. 1016 00:53:21,320 --> 00:53:25,080 Speaker 1: With money effectively at no cost, what does that do 1017 00:53:25,200 --> 00:53:27,439 Speaker 1: to start up investing? What does that do to start ups? 1018 00:53:27,920 --> 00:53:31,160 Speaker 1: And how does that change the entire venture market. I 1019 00:53:31,239 --> 00:53:34,319 Speaker 1: think I can talk to that well. I'll talk to 1020 00:53:34,360 --> 00:53:37,440 Speaker 1: first about the markets and my experience lately with the markets. 1021 00:53:37,560 --> 00:53:42,000 Speaker 1: I think that's so good, that too good, But you're 1022 00:53:42,040 --> 00:53:44,040 Speaker 1: not getting a bubble this time. You're getting You're getting 1023 00:53:44,480 --> 00:53:48,319 Speaker 1: really weird behavior because everybody knows it's overvalued, so the 1024 00:53:48,360 --> 00:53:50,600 Speaker 1: game is being played to not be a ninety No, 1025 00:53:50,680 --> 00:53:53,360 Speaker 1: I don't know if everybody knows it's overvalue. The smart 1026 00:53:53,440 --> 00:53:59,239 Speaker 1: money is like very fidgety myself, but that's what I'm saying. 1027 00:53:59,239 --> 00:54:01,160 Speaker 1: It makes it very hard even in a glow interest 1028 00:54:01,239 --> 00:54:04,120 Speaker 1: rate environment. What I'm saying is the market should just 1029 00:54:04,120 --> 00:54:07,120 Speaker 1: be relentless. And although it looks relentless on the SMP, 1030 00:54:07,560 --> 00:54:10,879 Speaker 1: there's been massive rotation because everybody fidgetty trying to find 1031 00:54:10,920 --> 00:54:13,640 Speaker 1: cheap things because it's so crazy out there. So we've 1032 00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:16,120 Speaker 1: avoided the bubble. Because everybody's pulling money out of things 1033 00:54:16,320 --> 00:54:18,920 Speaker 1: as soon as they feel like a bubble into the 1034 00:54:19,000 --> 00:54:21,120 Speaker 1: non bubble idea. So guys who have been in the 1035 00:54:21,200 --> 00:54:25,040 Speaker 1: market for forty year and fifty years, guys like Jeff 1036 00:54:25,160 --> 00:54:32,600 Speaker 1: s Out and Laslow Burrini, and they've all said that 1037 00:54:32,680 --> 00:54:36,240 Speaker 1: this reminds them very much of the early nine eighties, 1038 00:54:36,600 --> 00:54:38,640 Speaker 1: where you had just come off of a sixteen year 1039 00:54:38,680 --> 00:54:42,160 Speaker 1: bear market. The negativity could be cut with a knife. 1040 00:54:42,520 --> 00:54:45,400 Speaker 1: People's muscle memory was, hey, every time there was a 1041 00:54:45,400 --> 00:54:47,160 Speaker 1: pullback and I bought it, it was a rally and 1042 00:54:47,200 --> 00:54:50,560 Speaker 1: I got killed. So this is this is just like 1043 00:54:50,640 --> 00:54:53,360 Speaker 1: we're going back to the crash. But they said it 1044 00:54:53,440 --> 00:54:56,960 Speaker 1: took a full five six seven years after the bear 1045 00:54:57,080 --> 00:54:59,799 Speaker 1: market ended for people to wrap the head around that, hey, 1046 00:54:59,840 --> 00:55:04,360 Speaker 1: this is a different secular market. Even the eight seven crash, 1047 00:55:04,480 --> 00:55:08,719 Speaker 1: we still finished the europe one and everybody used the 1048 00:55:08,719 --> 00:55:11,600 Speaker 1: eighty seven. Let me rephrase that. The people who were 1049 00:55:11,640 --> 00:55:14,120 Speaker 1: unwilling to accept that the bear market, oh it was over, 1050 00:55:14,640 --> 00:55:17,359 Speaker 1: use the eighty seven crash as a c I told you, 1051 00:55:17,840 --> 00:55:21,640 Speaker 1: But again they missed. They avoided the drop, but missed 1052 00:55:22,440 --> 00:55:24,600 Speaker 1: move up. I try not to think I let the 1053 00:55:24,640 --> 00:55:28,560 Speaker 1: market get me into positions. The private market is interesting 1054 00:55:28,600 --> 00:55:31,120 Speaker 1: because companies that I was investing in an oh ay 1055 00:55:31,200 --> 00:55:34,560 Speaker 1: to two million valuation, those same founders and companies are 1056 00:55:34,560 --> 00:55:38,120 Speaker 1: getting ten to twelve million dollar valuations to start, and 1057 00:55:38,160 --> 00:55:40,920 Speaker 1: so the math really starts hurting. You know that two 1058 00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:46,160 Speaker 1: to twelve You know that's different than the market being up. 1059 00:55:47,480 --> 00:55:51,080 Speaker 1: So so I think that's what makes me nervous. You know, 1060 00:55:51,120 --> 00:55:53,160 Speaker 1: when you're investing in a company that everything can go 1061 00:55:53,239 --> 00:55:56,160 Speaker 1: wrong at a start up phase, right, you know, two million, 1062 00:55:56,160 --> 00:55:58,239 Speaker 1: I'm sure it might have sounded cheap, but it's still 1063 00:55:58,280 --> 00:55:59,880 Speaker 1: like for a company that don't have anything going on, 1064 00:56:00,239 --> 00:56:02,480 Speaker 1: Like I'm still in my head the old guy in 1065 00:56:02,520 --> 00:56:05,560 Speaker 1: the industry where I'm complaining that I can't pay ten 1066 00:56:05,600 --> 00:56:08,400 Speaker 1: million valuation for three kids in a room. But earlier 1067 00:56:08,400 --> 00:56:11,359 Speaker 1: you were saying valuation is your least important thing. It's 1068 00:56:11,440 --> 00:56:13,439 Speaker 1: it's just it's it's just something that I've never gotten 1069 00:56:13,440 --> 00:56:15,560 Speaker 1: comfortable with. That's why Fred Wilson is the best, and 1070 00:56:15,640 --> 00:56:17,720 Speaker 1: I'm just so he's willing to take a chance ignore 1071 00:56:17,760 --> 00:56:21,759 Speaker 1: the value he thinks, like I did with Robin Hood 1072 00:56:21,760 --> 00:56:25,160 Speaker 1: in certain companies. I'm starting to get more comfortable and 1073 00:56:25,200 --> 00:56:28,000 Speaker 1: become a better investor, because if price is the only 1074 00:56:28,120 --> 00:56:30,920 Speaker 1: reason you do not want to do a private investment, 1075 00:56:31,440 --> 00:56:36,879 Speaker 1: you should do that in the public markets. Know, if 1076 00:56:36,920 --> 00:56:40,120 Speaker 1: price is the only reason to not do something, it's 1077 00:56:40,160 --> 00:56:42,799 Speaker 1: also a mistake because you can get liquidity the next day, 1078 00:56:42,800 --> 00:56:45,240 Speaker 1: so price drives every next day. But that we're talking 1079 00:56:45,800 --> 00:56:49,960 Speaker 1: quarters and years, not hours and days. Sure, absolutely, but 1080 00:56:50,040 --> 00:56:52,319 Speaker 1: that's a trade. Not if you don't want to buy 1081 00:56:52,320 --> 00:56:55,359 Speaker 1: Google because you think it's pricey, and and your answer is, 1082 00:56:55,600 --> 00:56:59,680 Speaker 1: but you can sell it tomorrow. Most most people these 1083 00:56:59,760 --> 00:57:01,799 Speaker 1: days is aren't looking at day trade Google. They're looking 1084 00:57:01,840 --> 00:57:04,160 Speaker 1: to buy a tech company. Look at Apple as a 1085 00:57:04,200 --> 00:57:07,480 Speaker 1: perfect example. You know, it was seven and change. It's split, 1086 00:57:07,920 --> 00:57:10,560 Speaker 1: it's a huge split, and here we are we're now 1087 00:57:10,680 --> 00:57:13,880 Speaker 1: over that prior pre split high. But when you spoke 1088 00:57:13,920 --> 00:57:18,200 Speaker 1: to people at Apple at six fifty Apple, oh that's crazy. Yeah, 1089 00:57:18,240 --> 00:57:21,480 Speaker 1: I mean, I just I'll use it more at the 1090 00:57:21,480 --> 00:57:25,480 Speaker 1: private market. What if price is the absolute reason you're 1091 00:57:25,480 --> 00:57:27,880 Speaker 1: passing on an investment and you really feel good about 1092 00:57:27,880 --> 00:57:32,240 Speaker 1: every other aspect team market everything, will hold your nose 1093 00:57:32,680 --> 00:57:36,880 Speaker 1: and it and own it. Okay, Um, that's a very 1094 00:57:36,920 --> 00:57:41,160 Speaker 1: hard hurdle for the average, even good investor. That I 1095 00:57:41,200 --> 00:57:44,160 Speaker 1: was at the beginning to get over. I have definitely 1096 00:57:44,600 --> 00:57:47,720 Speaker 1: learned to live with that. In this disk Us evaluation, 1097 00:57:47,720 --> 00:57:51,440 Speaker 1: Twitter and Zingle two giant home runs, I know, but 1098 00:57:51,480 --> 00:57:54,960 Speaker 1: his Zingle was twenty million valuation when a poker room 1099 00:57:55,000 --> 00:57:57,680 Speaker 1: at the time. What Zingle worth today, I don't know, 1100 00:57:57,760 --> 00:58:00,520 Speaker 1: but I mean it definitely was a mistake on Twitter. 1101 00:58:00,640 --> 00:58:03,040 Speaker 1: We know Twitter as a multibillion dollar times but you 1102 00:58:03,120 --> 00:58:05,400 Speaker 1: learn it's not like I'm perfect. I mean, like I said, 1103 00:58:05,440 --> 00:58:07,520 Speaker 1: you know on my if you go to my blog 1104 00:58:07,600 --> 00:58:09,960 Speaker 1: or if you go to my our website at social leverage, 1105 00:58:10,000 --> 00:58:12,640 Speaker 1: I'm proud of those misses. What am I doing there? 1106 00:58:12,680 --> 00:58:14,800 Speaker 1: At least I was in the batter's box. The biggest 1107 00:58:14,840 --> 00:58:17,800 Speaker 1: crime is for my investors is not to see those deals. 1108 00:58:18,240 --> 00:58:19,760 Speaker 1: So if they pay me the two and a half 1109 00:58:19,760 --> 00:58:24,040 Speaker 1: and twenty, which they do and half and half, and 1110 00:58:24,120 --> 00:58:26,920 Speaker 1: that's standard in it's in the in the industry. I mean, 1111 00:58:26,960 --> 00:58:29,600 Speaker 1: the middle of our third fund raising and you know 1112 00:58:29,760 --> 00:58:34,040 Speaker 1: we're we're raising capital, but I mean that is standard, right, 1113 00:58:34,080 --> 00:58:38,240 Speaker 1: there's certain standards. It's richer than funds fee structure. Yeah, 1114 00:58:38,320 --> 00:58:41,320 Speaker 1: I mean because two point five yeah, and it's like 1115 00:58:41,440 --> 00:58:44,440 Speaker 1: that those are ten years of these things that standard. 1116 00:58:44,480 --> 00:58:46,040 Speaker 1: I mean, listen, if you're if you're gonna write me 1117 00:58:46,040 --> 00:58:48,440 Speaker 1: a check for ten million, you're probably going to negotiate fees. 1118 00:58:48,480 --> 00:58:51,040 Speaker 1: I've never had that happened negotiation, but it can happen. 1119 00:58:51,400 --> 00:58:53,240 Speaker 1: So those are you listening? If you got ten million 1120 00:58:53,280 --> 00:58:56,000 Speaker 1: for Howard, you could cut a deal. Yes, the sounds 1121 00:58:56,040 --> 00:58:58,240 Speaker 1: good to me. The Jerry picks up the difference, the 1122 00:58:58,840 --> 00:59:01,600 Speaker 1: it's good to be the GP Is that what you today? No? 1123 00:59:01,720 --> 00:59:04,440 Speaker 1: But this this the thing about this style of investing 1124 00:59:04,560 --> 00:59:08,120 Speaker 1: is the Twitter. I'm embarrassed about in hindsight Twitter and 1125 00:59:08,160 --> 00:59:11,120 Speaker 1: think it looked like unbelievable gaffs. And you could laugh 1126 00:59:11,160 --> 00:59:13,240 Speaker 1: at me for that, but it would be worse to 1127 00:59:13,280 --> 00:59:16,560 Speaker 1: not be seeing the deals. My job is to get 1128 00:59:16,600 --> 00:59:18,640 Speaker 1: into the flow. You got good deal flow, but you 1129 00:59:18,720 --> 00:59:21,840 Speaker 1: looked at these valuations and said a little rich for me. 1130 00:59:21,960 --> 00:59:23,520 Speaker 1: Well and I and I looked at the products and 1131 00:59:23,520 --> 00:59:25,440 Speaker 1: I wasn't using the products. The other thing is I 1132 00:59:25,440 --> 00:59:27,520 Speaker 1: got to use the products Twitter. At the time I 1133 00:59:27,600 --> 00:59:30,520 Speaker 1: was laughing at we were on our blackberries. Remember two 1134 00:59:30,560 --> 00:59:34,920 Speaker 1: thousand seven blackberries market crash, twenty million valuation in an 1135 00:59:34,920 --> 00:59:37,360 Speaker 1: era of two million valuations. By the way, you could 1136 00:59:37,360 --> 00:59:39,920 Speaker 1: have bought Apple and Google and tripled your money. Whatever 1137 00:59:40,120 --> 00:59:43,840 Speaker 1: not not. Twitter obviously returns because it was a mistake. 1138 00:59:44,280 --> 00:59:46,960 Speaker 1: But I'm really proud because by being in the market, 1139 00:59:47,000 --> 00:59:50,200 Speaker 1: I caught an Uber at four million valuations. So you 1140 00:59:50,320 --> 00:59:53,680 Speaker 1: have to be in the market, meaning I'm gonna make mistakes. 1141 00:59:53,720 --> 00:59:57,440 Speaker 1: I didn't know. I didn't know that outside return, Twitter 1142 00:59:57,680 --> 01:00:00,160 Speaker 1: was the nil brain or Uber was the hardest thing. 1143 01:00:01,600 --> 01:00:04,200 Speaker 1: That's fascinating to me. Tell me why, because when Uber 1144 01:00:04,280 --> 01:00:06,680 Speaker 1: first came around, it's like, wait, and he used my 1145 01:00:06,720 --> 01:00:08,600 Speaker 1: phone to call a cab. I walked down to the street. 1146 01:00:08,640 --> 01:00:11,040 Speaker 1: I waved my hand. There's a cab. Tell me what 1147 01:00:11,120 --> 01:00:13,080 Speaker 1: made you think the magic of it? I live in 1148 01:00:13,120 --> 01:00:15,520 Speaker 1: Coronado and I could just push a button and the 1149 01:00:15,640 --> 01:00:18,280 Speaker 1: car would come over the It wasn't it was fifteen minutes, 1150 01:00:18,680 --> 01:00:22,280 Speaker 1: five years ago a cab. Don't trust the cab. I mean, 1151 01:00:22,320 --> 01:00:24,600 Speaker 1: I don't trust the system. You know, the medallion system 1152 01:00:24,680 --> 01:00:30,080 Speaker 1: was broken. It deserves disrupted. Weren't investing in their infrastructure. Okay, no, 1153 01:00:30,240 --> 01:00:32,080 Speaker 1: this is the problem I have with the Listen, it's 1154 01:00:32,120 --> 01:00:34,280 Speaker 1: not fair. Let's talk about it right up front. It's 1155 01:00:34,280 --> 01:00:37,400 Speaker 1: not fair. It's not fair. They're breaking some rules and 1156 01:00:37,560 --> 01:00:40,800 Speaker 1: Uber is not fair, and well, I'm just saying they 1157 01:00:40,800 --> 01:00:44,400 Speaker 1: don't have their licenses and they've they've been creative. Let's say, 1158 01:00:44,440 --> 01:00:47,640 Speaker 1: and I say this offer a more creative Let's just 1159 01:00:47,720 --> 01:00:50,720 Speaker 1: think how broken the medallion system is. One dude making 1160 01:00:50,760 --> 01:00:52,520 Speaker 1: all the money or one woman making all the money 1161 01:00:52,560 --> 01:00:55,440 Speaker 1: at the top. They're not investing in technology. The drivers 1162 01:00:55,440 --> 01:00:59,000 Speaker 1: are unhappy, the customers are unhappy. Everything's broken. There's no 1163 01:00:59,040 --> 01:01:01,800 Speaker 1: trust in the system. It was due to be disrupted 1164 01:01:01,800 --> 01:01:04,600 Speaker 1: in hindset. Okay, so what and then we're looking at Zinga. 1165 01:01:04,600 --> 01:01:07,720 Speaker 1: I'm going on, I don't play mobile games. Uh, twenty 1166 01:01:07,720 --> 01:01:12,439 Speaker 1: millions crazy, the markets crashing, and so as a non 1167 01:01:12,520 --> 01:01:15,520 Speaker 1: user of the product, ever still not to this day. 1168 01:01:15,880 --> 01:01:18,040 Speaker 1: You know, it was such a leap of faith. But 1169 01:01:18,200 --> 01:01:21,520 Speaker 1: market played angry Birds or anything like that. But Mark 1170 01:01:21,520 --> 01:01:25,720 Speaker 1: Pinkas was the outlier. Actually just invested in him because 1171 01:01:25,720 --> 01:01:27,640 Speaker 1: he was going to do anything, gonna be a billion. 1172 01:01:28,280 --> 01:01:30,360 Speaker 1: He wanted to do anything to be ability. So back 1173 01:01:30,400 --> 01:01:33,080 Speaker 1: to Uber and so the people you look at this 1174 01:01:33,160 --> 01:01:36,880 Speaker 1: and say, here's an entire infrastructure right to be disrupted. 1175 01:01:36,880 --> 01:01:40,840 Speaker 1: We've seen four million valuation, I mean and New York 1176 01:01:40,880 --> 01:01:45,360 Speaker 1: City taxis the medallions have dropped value just as a 1177 01:01:45,400 --> 01:01:48,760 Speaker 1: reflection of how broken and if the city was going 1178 01:01:48,800 --> 01:01:51,080 Speaker 1: to do its job, whoever is a mayor would step 1179 01:01:51,080 --> 01:01:52,840 Speaker 1: in and say, listen, we're going to train people on Uber. 1180 01:01:52,880 --> 01:01:54,720 Speaker 1: We're going to train people how to use their iPhones, 1181 01:01:54,720 --> 01:01:56,400 Speaker 1: and we're going to give people. You don't have to 1182 01:01:56,400 --> 01:01:58,360 Speaker 1: train people to use it, That's what I'm saying. Like, 1183 01:01:58,440 --> 01:02:00,480 Speaker 1: so that's why they And you know, I'll tell you 1184 01:02:00,480 --> 01:02:03,200 Speaker 1: a funny Uber story. So last week, we're in Seattle 1185 01:02:03,600 --> 01:02:07,120 Speaker 1: and I'll spay you. What's that. That's in the US, 1186 01:02:07,640 --> 01:02:12,919 Speaker 1: not too far from Vancouver, And I'm on the Microsoft campus, which, 1187 01:02:13,000 --> 01:02:16,600 Speaker 1: by the way, you know i'm Microsoft. You know, I'm 1188 01:02:16,600 --> 01:02:19,840 Speaker 1: an Apple guy, was never a giant Microsoft fan. It 1189 01:02:20,160 --> 01:02:27,040 Speaker 1: is astonishing. The campus is I'm insane. Number it goes 1190 01:02:27,080 --> 01:02:28,440 Speaker 1: as far as the I can see. You can get 1191 01:02:28,440 --> 01:02:30,680 Speaker 1: in a car and keep driving. So we we call 1192 01:02:30,720 --> 01:02:33,840 Speaker 1: an uber to get back into into Seattle proper. The 1193 01:02:33,880 --> 01:02:36,400 Speaker 1: place is so big and the way the maps work 1194 01:02:36,600 --> 01:02:41,479 Speaker 1: because it's not like roads. So we had a haunt 1195 01:02:41,600 --> 01:02:44,040 Speaker 1: a make a left. I'm on the phone with one phone, 1196 01:02:44,320 --> 01:02:47,000 Speaker 1: looking at the Uber with the other phone. All right, 1197 01:02:47,080 --> 01:02:49,720 Speaker 1: look make a left. It took us fifty minutes for 1198 01:02:49,720 --> 01:02:52,959 Speaker 1: the guy to find New York, Seattle, London. Uber doesn't 1199 01:02:52,960 --> 01:02:57,280 Speaker 1: work perfectly because subtleties to the road. I've never had 1200 01:02:57,320 --> 01:03:00,560 Speaker 1: issues in Manhattan having had a driver didn't know the shortcuts. 1201 01:02:59,760 --> 01:03:03,800 Speaker 1: So one other, one other personal story. So we have 1202 01:03:03,840 --> 01:03:06,680 Speaker 1: a client who happens to be the guy who turns 1203 01:03:06,800 --> 01:03:10,920 Speaker 1: Google Maps into Google Map app. That's a client of us. 1204 01:03:10,960 --> 01:03:13,480 Speaker 1: So one day someone's going to meet the office and 1205 01:03:13,840 --> 01:03:16,120 Speaker 1: meeting us and they're late, and I was like, how 1206 01:03:16,160 --> 01:03:19,880 Speaker 1: are you late? Well, google Maps sent me to not 1207 01:03:19,920 --> 01:03:23,640 Speaker 1: too so our addresses a Park Avenue South address. I'm sorry, 1208 01:03:23,680 --> 01:03:26,240 Speaker 1: our addresses park having you proper and it sent them 1209 01:03:26,240 --> 01:03:29,400 Speaker 1: to Park Avenue South, and so where are you? I'm 1210 01:03:29,400 --> 01:03:32,480 Speaker 1: down now, we're all the way. We're by Grand Central. 1211 01:03:32,760 --> 01:03:35,120 Speaker 1: Well google Maps sent me to Park Avenue South, not 1212 01:03:35,280 --> 01:03:37,560 Speaker 1: Park Avenue. I sorry, I'll take care of it. They 1213 01:03:37,560 --> 01:03:40,520 Speaker 1: thought I was joking and send send an email a client. Hey, 1214 01:03:40,600 --> 01:03:45,040 Speaker 1: here's the issue with Google Maps. Here's the fix. Oh no, 1215 01:03:45,160 --> 01:03:47,040 Speaker 1: it was by the time the person got to office. 1216 01:03:47,080 --> 01:03:50,520 Speaker 1: I go search for Google Maps, search for address. He's like, 1217 01:03:50,520 --> 01:03:53,240 Speaker 1: how did you do that? I go, which is really 1218 01:03:53,280 --> 01:03:57,760 Speaker 1: a hilarious. So the key is flow my customers or 1219 01:03:57,840 --> 01:04:02,320 Speaker 1: my partners. Uh, the way I do them wrong is 1220 01:04:03,040 --> 01:04:05,760 Speaker 1: to be out of every deal. Just so batter's boxing. 1221 01:04:05,800 --> 01:04:09,640 Speaker 1: You've got to be swinging. I'm not happy I made. 1222 01:04:09,680 --> 01:04:12,080 Speaker 1: Here's what a mistake I made was Zinga. I passed 1223 01:04:12,080 --> 01:04:16,520 Speaker 1: on a great founder. The stake I made in Twitter was, uh, well, 1224 01:04:17,040 --> 01:04:19,360 Speaker 1: this price was my only reason for not doing it. 1225 01:04:19,360 --> 01:04:22,439 Speaker 1: It was I was using it and I didn't get 1226 01:04:22,440 --> 01:04:25,320 Speaker 1: the valuation. Although you're still not happy with the product, 1227 01:04:25,360 --> 01:04:28,360 Speaker 1: and you're not happy with the phenomenal, you're not happy 1228 01:04:28,360 --> 01:04:30,840 Speaker 1: with the business around the product. Well, I'm just you know, 1229 01:04:30,920 --> 01:04:33,560 Speaker 1: they've created all these pressures the market. The public markets 1230 01:04:33,600 --> 01:04:36,080 Speaker 1: are all about pressure. You can delay ratification, you can 1231 01:04:36,080 --> 01:04:40,160 Speaker 1: push off evaluation. Amazon's done that successful. Twitter hasn't done 1232 01:04:40,200 --> 01:04:42,040 Speaker 1: a good job of talking to the street and explaining 1233 01:04:42,240 --> 01:04:45,480 Speaker 1: their vision, let's face it. But at the same time, 1234 01:04:45,520 --> 01:04:48,840 Speaker 1: it's an incredible product. It's an incredible company to build 1235 01:04:48,880 --> 01:04:52,920 Speaker 1: so fast. But they're obviously having trouble living within the 1236 01:04:52,960 --> 01:04:55,200 Speaker 1: market cap that they've been given. They have to figure 1237 01:04:55,200 --> 01:04:56,720 Speaker 1: out how to monitor, they need to figure out how 1238 01:04:56,760 --> 01:05:00,120 Speaker 1: to communicate the vision. Yet, yeah, and so, so you 1239 01:05:00,160 --> 01:05:02,080 Speaker 1: and I can talk about it is the core product. 1240 01:05:02,120 --> 01:05:04,880 Speaker 1: I think it's the greatest product ever created for guys. 1241 01:05:06,960 --> 01:05:10,080 Speaker 1: Can I tell you I was never a very active booker. 1242 01:05:10,400 --> 01:05:13,480 Speaker 1: It was always like, I don't care about the pictures 1243 01:05:13,520 --> 01:05:16,160 Speaker 1: of your kids. I don't care about your vaca. It's 1244 01:05:16,200 --> 01:05:20,040 Speaker 1: like everybody's the minutia of everybody's life without the wit 1245 01:05:20,160 --> 01:05:23,840 Speaker 1: and charm of Seinfeld. That's that's so. And then it's 1246 01:05:23,880 --> 01:05:28,000 Speaker 1: the same LinkedIn thing. You start to friend everybody and 1247 01:05:28,040 --> 01:05:31,920 Speaker 1: the next thing you know, it's it's it's completely worthless. Twitter. 1248 01:05:32,040 --> 01:05:34,760 Speaker 1: On the other hands, what I love about Twitter is 1249 01:05:34,800 --> 01:05:37,720 Speaker 1: I get to say I'm going to effectively higher the 1250 01:05:37,760 --> 01:05:41,720 Speaker 1: smartest people I know to be my research to point. 1251 01:05:42,400 --> 01:05:46,920 Speaker 1: That's exactly it. It's completely complete expert network. And but 1252 01:05:47,200 --> 01:05:49,480 Speaker 1: it's not free in the sense that it's just magically 1253 01:05:49,480 --> 01:05:51,400 Speaker 1: going to work for you. It's free, you have to invest. 1254 01:05:51,840 --> 01:05:56,200 Speaker 1: The investment is time, not money, and that's and curation 1255 01:05:56,240 --> 01:05:58,480 Speaker 1: and get what you put it in stock Twitch, which 1256 01:05:58,480 --> 01:06:01,000 Speaker 1: we created, was just a pew Alton for finance and 1257 01:06:01,040 --> 01:06:04,280 Speaker 1: a peloton of traders and investors define peloton for research 1258 01:06:04,360 --> 01:06:07,360 Speaker 1: for listeners who may not be bike racing fans. Well, 1259 01:06:07,400 --> 01:06:09,080 Speaker 1: I mean, if we watch the Tour de France, which 1260 01:06:09,080 --> 01:06:11,400 Speaker 1: bores most people. It's because it is a peloton most 1261 01:06:11,400 --> 01:06:14,520 Speaker 1: of the time. That's just a beautiful looks like a bumblebee, 1262 01:06:14,920 --> 01:06:19,080 Speaker 1: looks like a hive of bees, a group of people, 1263 01:06:19,080 --> 01:06:21,600 Speaker 1: which is really hard to stay in if you're that's 1264 01:06:21,640 --> 01:06:25,480 Speaker 1: the That's why people love it is because it is 1265 01:06:25,520 --> 01:06:28,600 Speaker 1: beautiful to see two people who so close together riding 1266 01:06:28,640 --> 01:06:31,680 Speaker 1: at forty. There is an art to that, but there 1267 01:06:31,760 --> 01:06:33,920 Speaker 1: art too. Winning the race is deciding when you're going 1268 01:06:33,960 --> 01:06:38,480 Speaker 1: to break free. When when you linked, I mean, Twitter 1269 01:06:38,600 --> 01:06:46,440 Speaker 1: is the greatest mental and and educational and mind expanding peloton. 1270 01:06:46,880 --> 01:06:49,080 Speaker 1: You're hanging out with the smartest people in the world 1271 01:06:49,360 --> 01:06:53,280 Speaker 1: just flipping the news or and it is your job 1272 01:06:53,520 --> 01:06:57,120 Speaker 1: to curate. That's a that's a that's an overwhelming to 1273 01:06:57,200 --> 01:07:01,479 Speaker 1: most people. Lazy people's Oh, I want this to magically work. 1274 01:07:01,640 --> 01:07:05,080 Speaker 1: We're in a world of Netflix, and this is where 1275 01:07:05,120 --> 01:07:07,600 Speaker 1: Twitter could really do something interesting. I could start a 1276 01:07:07,600 --> 01:07:12,560 Speaker 1: business tomorrow called Twitter, and I could put five people 1277 01:07:12,560 --> 01:07:14,760 Speaker 1: in the room and start shipping and and have you 1278 01:07:14,800 --> 01:07:17,000 Speaker 1: called me to tell you how to use Twitter. Twitter 1279 01:07:17,040 --> 01:07:19,440 Speaker 1: should have had a much bigger support test to help 1280 01:07:19,520 --> 01:07:22,400 Speaker 1: people get to the peloton stage. Faster. Hey I'm interested 1281 01:07:22,400 --> 01:07:24,160 Speaker 1: in beer. Okay, I'll send you a list in ten 1282 01:07:24,200 --> 01:07:26,560 Speaker 1: minutes of the five people that will give you the 1283 01:07:26,560 --> 01:07:30,760 Speaker 1: best links and the best brains on beer. And how 1284 01:07:31,000 --> 01:07:33,480 Speaker 1: is that for Twitter to set up a dozen verticals 1285 01:07:33,480 --> 01:07:36,880 Speaker 1: and say if if you're an entrepreneur, you should do 1286 01:07:36,880 --> 01:07:39,200 Speaker 1: it like I've often thought of starting a Twitter helped deak, 1287 01:07:39,240 --> 01:07:43,560 Speaker 1: So just play it with that. You take the daily 1288 01:07:43,600 --> 01:07:47,040 Speaker 1: sections of the New York Times, so it's it's it's 1289 01:07:47,360 --> 01:07:51,800 Speaker 1: business and investing, it's sports, its metropolitan, it's food, it's theater, 1290 01:07:51,880 --> 01:07:54,840 Speaker 1: it's film, it's going down the list, sports and dining, 1291 01:07:54,920 --> 01:07:59,520 Speaker 1: and travel and hauntamobiles. Those are your verticals. You come 1292 01:07:59,600 --> 01:08:03,800 Speaker 1: up with variations of each of those verticals and say, hey, 1293 01:08:04,080 --> 01:08:06,800 Speaker 1: you follow this, here click this, and here are those 1294 01:08:07,200 --> 01:08:09,720 Speaker 1: you're following the hundred people in the space who cover this. 1295 01:08:09,880 --> 01:08:12,200 Speaker 1: We invested. I invested with Mark Cuban in a company 1296 01:08:12,280 --> 01:08:14,800 Speaker 1: called Get Little Bird that does that. So it's just 1297 01:08:14,840 --> 01:08:18,040 Speaker 1: a matter of when we execute on this. But Mercia Kirkpatrick, 1298 01:08:18,120 --> 01:08:20,920 Speaker 1: it's called get Little Bird dot Com and it's you know, 1299 01:08:21,000 --> 01:08:23,320 Speaker 1: people are solving these problems, just not Twitter. Sawing. Now 1300 01:08:23,320 --> 01:08:25,880 Speaker 1: with Twitter buys these companies that will be interesting. But 1301 01:08:26,360 --> 01:08:28,880 Speaker 1: this is this is what people don't understand about a 1302 01:08:28,920 --> 01:08:31,679 Speaker 1: Twitter is it's got so much potential. And that's what's 1303 01:08:31,680 --> 01:08:33,960 Speaker 1: exciting about stock twitch at the same level. Why why 1304 01:08:33,960 --> 01:08:36,559 Speaker 1: we're so excited about stock twits, the same thing for finance. 1305 01:08:36,680 --> 01:08:38,519 Speaker 1: So we're gonna I'm gonna interrupt you here because you 1306 01:08:38,560 --> 01:08:40,280 Speaker 1: and I have been talking now for ninety minutes. We 1307 01:08:40,320 --> 01:08:42,640 Speaker 1: could go for another two hours. I know you have 1308 01:08:42,720 --> 01:08:45,160 Speaker 1: places to go and things to do, so I'm gonna 1309 01:08:45,400 --> 01:08:48,080 Speaker 1: wrap this up. Howard. I really appreciate you coming in 1310 01:08:48,560 --> 01:08:51,280 Speaker 1: and speaking with us for for so long. I hope 1311 01:08:51,640 --> 01:08:55,120 Speaker 1: listeners can parse um son of the subtleties in our 1312 01:08:55,160 --> 01:08:59,240 Speaker 1: conversation and actually pull something out. I've been listening, You've 1313 01:08:59,240 --> 01:09:01,960 Speaker 1: been listening. I've been speaking with You've been listening to 1314 01:09:02,680 --> 01:09:06,160 Speaker 1: Howard Lindzen of Social Leverage, stock Twits, and a variety 1315 01:09:06,160 --> 01:09:09,360 Speaker 1: of other companies. He's an angel investor and venture capitalist. 1316 01:09:10,200 --> 01:09:15,400 Speaker 1: Be sure and check out our previous UM previous podcasts. 1317 01:09:15,439 --> 01:09:17,680 Speaker 1: If you're listening to this, you probably know where our 1318 01:09:17,720 --> 01:09:21,160 Speaker 1: podcasts are there on iTunes, in Bloomberg dot com. Uh my, 1319 01:09:21,600 --> 01:09:24,600 Speaker 1: follow me on Twitter. What is your Twitter handle at? 1320 01:09:24,600 --> 01:09:28,160 Speaker 1: Howard That's gonna be That's gonna be tough. Remember at 1321 01:09:28,200 --> 01:09:30,840 Speaker 1: Howard Lindzen. You can follow me at rid Holts or 1322 01:09:30,880 --> 01:09:34,000 Speaker 1: check out my daily column at Bloomberg View dot com. 1323 01:09:34,040 --> 01:09:36,559 Speaker 1: I'm Barry rid Holts. You've been listening to Masters in 1324 01:09:36,600 --> 01:09:40,799 Speaker 1: Business on Bloomberg Radio. You're listening to Masters in Business 1325 01:09:40,880 --> 01:09:43,439 Speaker 1: with Barry rid Holts on Bloomberg Radio.