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Really recommend watching Shkreli's interview with The Breakfast Club where he's attacked for all the things he's become infamous for in the public sphere (drug

Really recommend watching Shkreli's interview with The Breakfast Club where he's attacked for all the things he's become infamous for in the public sphere (drug price hikes, wu-tang album, etc.) The guy gets it, and played the game the way it was presented to him. He actually comes across as a very smart, thoughtful, and respectful guy that can roll with the punches and dish back when needed. Sure he's a bit of a troll, but can you blame him when some of the most public figures/role models currently in the US are paid and rewarded for extreme trolling? Feel he's been very misunderstood, and it's a shame he got the book thrown at him https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTNOWSKMS10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTNOWSKMS10

paxy 9y ago
Well he wasn't sentenced for any of those things. His real "play" was securities fraud.
- roymurdock 9y ago
  Sure, he had the spotlight on him after the "pharma bro" stories came out and everyone started to hate him unequivocally without considering how perverse incentives within the pharma/insurance system have allowed countless other drug manufacturers to take advantage of the same loopholes and price gouging techniques. Unfortunately for him he has a hateable face, fit into the "young rich person flying too close to sun" story arc, and was dumb enough to continue his trolling activities instead of fading from the limelight and allowing the mob to pass on to the next social media pariah. Think about it...his crime was that he lied to a few rich people who gave him money, then ended up making these rich people even more money in the end, ending positively for them. Then ask yourself why prosecutors have failed to go after any of the bankers responsible for the great financial crisis, which affected hundreds of millions of people and their families, causing many people to lose their homes, jobs, etc. Is that really a fair system? Or are people just gloating about this guy going to jail as some type of proxy for justice being served somewhere, in some fashion for white collar financial crime that many have been indirectly victimized by, but have never received due compensation/justice. Really, nobody on HN should care that he's going to prison, drug price gouging will still continue on unabated, and 20 more snake oil ICOs will pop up tomorrow to steal investors money. This conviction is hardly a sign that the system is working as intended. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/08/why-arent-any-bankers-in-prison-for-causing-the-financial-crisis/496232/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/08/why-are...
danso 9y ago
I agree he's very smart. But you argue that, besides being a boy genius, he is a very thoughtful and respectful guy -- yet he's too dumb and ignorant to recognize the consequences of extreme trolling? Even when he was warned repeatedly against such trolling, and that it was clear to everyone that such trolling would be absolutely a detriment to his own welfare? If we agree that he is very smart, how does being thoughtful and respectful play into his trolling behavior post-conviction?
- roymurdock 9y ago
  He understands the justice/social system and its absurdity and decides to have a bit of fun subverting the system and stirring up drama, even if it has detrimental effects on his ongoing case, because he enjoys giving the middle finger to authority and the established order/system. He's respectful to the interviewers, but he seems to absolutely detest authority (especially authority which seems arbitrary or archaic).
  - danso 9y ago
    What absurdity about the justice system did he perceive (that the status quo doesn't)? And if he knew what he was doing, and properly ascertained its detrimental effects, then why did he reportedly weep and plead for mercy when the sentence was handed down? To put this another way, if Shkreli received what he thought he would get -- which is 0 days in prison (when considering time served up to now) -- then how is that less a mockery of the justice system than the other cases people complain about, when smart, clean-cut, cultured white-collar executives don't get what they purportedly deserve? I bet if Enron's Jeffrey Skilling (who received an initial sentence of 24+ years) had a YouTube channel, he too would come off as a relatable intelligent and clever human, which is what you'd expect of someone who worked his way up to CEO.
    - roymurdock 9y ago
      I don't have the answers you're looking for, just sharing my view of his character/motivations after watching a 30 minute interview with the guy on his upbringing, rap, and the pharma industry. I'd wager Enron's CEO would come off as an actor or a sociopath reading press releases or prepared scripts for money, whereas Shkreli still exhibits genuine human emotions, quirks (genuinely passionate about rap/hip hop because it got him through tough times growing up), compassion (gave drugs away for free to those who couldn't afford, taught a youtube series on chemsitry/pharma for younger generation of investors), etc. It seems like it's not all about money for Shkreli, he wants to impact the culture and give back in unselfish ways. I put myself in his shoes, and I feel bad for the guy having 7 years of his life taken from him, especially when many other white collar crimes of seemingly greater magnitude go unpunished

paxy 9y ago

Well he wasn't sentenced for any of those things. His real "play" was securities fraud.

roymurdock 9y ago
Sure, he had the spotlight on him after the "pharma bro" stories came out and everyone started to hate him unequivocally without considering how perverse incentives within the pharma/insurance system have allowed countless other drug manufacturers to take advantage of the same loopholes and price gouging techniques. Unfortunately for him he has a hateable face, fit into the "young rich person flying too close to sun" story arc, and was dumb enough to continue his trolling activities instead of fading from the limelight and allowing the mob to pass on to the next social media pariah. Think about it...his crime was that he lied to a few rich people who gave him money, then ended up making these rich people even more money in the end, ending positively for them. Then ask yourself why prosecutors have failed to go after any of the bankers responsible for the great financial crisis, which affected hundreds of millions of people and their families, causing many people to lose their homes, jobs, etc. Is that really a fair system? Or are people just gloating about this guy going to jail as some type of proxy for justice being served somewhere, in some fashion for white collar financial crime that many have been indirectly victimized by, but have never received due compensation/justice. Really, nobody on HN should care that he's going to prison, drug price gouging will still continue on unabated, and 20 more snake oil ICOs will pop up tomorrow to steal investors money. This conviction is hardly a sign that the system is working as intended. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/08/why-arent-any-bankers-in-prison-for-causing-the-financial-crisis/496232/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/08/why-are...

danso 9y ago

I agree he's very smart. But you argue that, besides being a boy genius, he is a very thoughtful and respectful guy -- yet he's too dumb and ignorant to recognize the consequences of extreme trolling? Even when he was warned repeatedly against such trolling, and that it was clear to everyone that such trolling would be absolutely a detriment to his own welfare? If we agree that he is very smart, how does being thoughtful and respectful play into his trolling behavior post-conviction?

roymurdock 9y ago
He understands the justice/social system and its absurdity and decides to have a bit of fun subverting the system and stirring up drama, even if it has detrimental effects on his ongoing case, because he enjoys giving the middle finger to authority and the established order/system. He's respectful to the interviewers, but he seems to absolutely detest authority (especially authority which seems arbitrary or archaic).
- danso 9y ago
  What absurdity about the justice system did he perceive (that the status quo doesn't)? And if he knew what he was doing, and properly ascertained its detrimental effects, then why did he reportedly weep and plead for mercy when the sentence was handed down? To put this another way, if Shkreli received what he thought he would get -- which is 0 days in prison (when considering time served up to now) -- then how is that less a mockery of the justice system than the other cases people complain about, when smart, clean-cut, cultured white-collar executives don't get what they purportedly deserve? I bet if Enron's Jeffrey Skilling (who received an initial sentence of 24+ years) had a YouTube channel, he too would come off as a relatable intelligent and clever human, which is what you'd expect of someone who worked his way up to CEO.
  - roymurdock 9y ago
    I don't have the answers you're looking for, just sharing my view of his character/motivations after watching a 30 minute interview with the guy on his upbringing, rap, and the pharma industry. I'd wager Enron's CEO would come off as an actor or a sociopath reading press releases or prepared scripts for money, whereas Shkreli still exhibits genuine human emotions, quirks (genuinely passionate about rap/hip hop because it got him through tough times growing up), compassion (gave drugs away for free to those who couldn't afford, taught a youtube series on chemsitry/pharma for younger generation of investors), etc. It seems like it's not all about money for Shkreli, he wants to impact the culture and give back in unselfish ways. I put myself in his shoes, and I feel bad for the guy having 7 years of his life taken from him, especially when many other white collar crimes of seemingly greater magnitude go unpunished