9 ms·

I love how greenmail was rebranded to "activist investing". For those of you who don't know, greenmail is basically going to a company and saying: "Hey, I can c

• maceo 11y ago
  It's actually a shame, because the term "activist investor" already had a meaning. It's what you would call nuns in the 80s who used proxy votes from pension funds to push pro-people corporate policy. Or Harvard students in the 60s who used proxies from their university endowment to agitate against corporations profiting off the Vietnam War. These days, that doesn't really exist anymore, but if you have to refer to it its usually called "shareholder activism." Even then, most people who read that assume that you're referring to greenmailing.
• s73v3r 11y ago
  To be fair, he doesn't need to convince that many people.
• jusben1369 11y ago
  His most recent foray was in eBay and Paypal. He was demonized at the time but it would appear he was right. There are literally thousands of choices for him. He only shows up on your doorstep if he thinks you're vulnerable then puts all his own money at stake. He may not always be right but I think he (and others like him) can have a very positive role in the overall ecosystem. A lot of these management teams and boards are just too dang cozy and it can be nearly impossible to shake them up.