Thread: Icahn vs Ackman - Battle of Billionaires

I've been following HLF, held a small position last year, got in and out for an OK 12% profit making about 2k on the trade --- thats right im a player uh huh, 2G homie... i went to the club later that night to celebrate and made it a light drizzle. Was interested in HLF initially because they make good money and I wanted to be on the "owner" (kind of) end of an MLM instead of the worker bee distributor. Missed all this latest excitement in the stock itself although when I was watching that battle live on CNBC I couldn't believe it --- "did Icahn just say Ackman was like a little Jewish crybaby getting beaten up in a playground? No way..." Ackman is a smoother fellow but I have to question if anyone in that position would truly be operating from an altruistic desire to save the world from predatory businesses. Either way this entire thing is very entertaining.

This happened a couple of weeks ago, didn't it? I was washing dishes and had to stop and pay full attention to the TV--most entertaining thing I've ever watched on CNBC. Then CNBC did this whole episode on "who won the show down". I thought Askman did solely because he kept his cool...

It was 25 January. Icahn comes on again today..not exactly sure what time. Noon maybe.

<---Team Ackman

Thanks for posting the awesome video

Wrong side. Icahn is an old billionaire who wants to crush his foe. Did you watch the video with his artwork on display? Unless the SEC gets involved I'm betting on Icahn ripping some faces off. Not to mention Dan Loeb on the same side of the trade.

He's on again in 1 min. No tv here for me though.

fun fun let the games begin! this kind of entertainment is all CNBC is good for



(I miss gladiator movies)

PS. Whenever I see "success coaches" spewing stuff like I saw on an infographic that was mocked here a while ago (some nonsense about "successful people exude joy"... while "unsuccessful people harbor grudges" and are motivated by naughty emotions like revenge), I think of people like Icahn and Ackman and how they would eat these people alive.

Originally Posted by Jake

Unless the SEC gets involved I'm betting on Icahn ripping some faces off. Not to mention Dan Loeb on the same side of the trade.

The FTC is what HLF should be concerned about, if anything. But who knows if the FTC will act, I mean they've given HLF a pass for this long. Plus politically it is a difficult sell... attacking HLF would likely cause a torches and pitchfork uprising from angry distributors (not just in HLF but probably the alarm would be raised across the MLM world).

A lot of these distributors vote, plus the industry itself has done a good job capturing the regulators via lobbyists and also lining the pockets of elected officials. It is a situation where the people being enslaved and duped as part of the pyramid-building scheme are not likely to support action that would destroy the pyramid since that is they've invested their hopes and dreams into, and it depends on them attracting others to the scheme.

For these reasons I think the FTC is unlikely to act, and FTC action is really the best hope for Ackman, because otherwise yes indeed this pyramid makes a lot of money at least for now. This raises a larger question though: if it's well-managed enough, can this type of pyramid scheme go on forever? Will there always be an endless supply of fresh slaves to put to work?

PS. this situation is an interesting example of how someone can be totally right (can anyone with half a brain deny Ackman's claim that HLF is a pyramid? I don't think even Icahn or Loeb are seriously disputing that) but being totally right about the wrong thing just doesn't matter!

I enjoy watching Icahn.

The man could throw a dart at a stock page and annouce an investment in the targeted company -- the stock move 20% the next day.

That's POWER.

If you watch his interviews, he's so AWESOMELY UNPHASED -- like the Dos Equis guy almost.

I remember watching an interview some time ago where he profited like $100M OVERNIGHT and when asked about it on CNBC, he acted as if he just was given a coupon to the continental breakfast down at the Days Inn ... 100M? Oh, no big deal.

Originally Posted by MJ DeMarco

I enjoy watching Icahn.

The man could throw a dart at a stock page and annouce an investment in the targeted company -- the stock move 20% the next day.

That's POWER.

If you watch his interviews, he's so AWESOMELY UNPHASED -- like the Dos Equis guy almost.

I remember watching an interview some time ago where he profited like $100M OVERNIGHT and when asked about it on CNBC, he acted as if he just was given a coupon to the continental breakfast down at the Days Inn ... 100M? Oh, no big deal.

In the vid he mentions..I didn't make much..maybe 3 or 4 million Like it's peanuts

Originally Posted by Twiki

The FTC is what HLF should be concerned about,

Yup..screwed up my acronyms.


I was a second late trying to sell my 37.5's calls so I decided to add some 42.5's. If I don't get an opportunity to sell the 37'5's in a few mins looks like I'll be holding them over the weekend. Hard sell off when Carl was talking