Well this is…something

I was on stage with Cathie Wood last fall for a conference at the Bloomberg headquarters in NYC. The topic? Using social media to build influence for your investment firm.

My perspective was “It’s time for me to start pulling back, I don’t even enjoy it anymore. People are miserable and angry and jealous and mad at themselves and I don’t want to be around it anymore.” Cathie was like (I’m paraphrasing) “F*** that, we’re going full speed ahead on Twitter, we’re using it to be provocative and to meet new sources of information and to differentiate ourselves from passive growth funds.” Those weren’t her exact words but she was ready to roar on Finance Twitter. I was like, get me the hell out of here.

Fast forward a year – I’ve basically deleted my presence there, best decision of my life. Never been happier. She’s ridden the wave of fame that’s come along with her ultra-bullish Tesla position into a full-fledged cult following. Good for her and her ETF firm, ARK Investments. I found her to be serious, courageous and intellectually curious during that hour we spent together on stage. Glad it’s worked out.

But now maybe she’s taking things in a trollingly bizarre direction where they don’t necessarily need to go. Smashing value investors, innovation doubters and other non-believers over the head with shade in the below video, which hit the ARK Twitter feed late last week…

So now she’s got to contend with the TSLAQ crowd AND the millions of beleaguered old school value people who have nothing to show for all their self-flagellation over the last decade. Why stomp on a hornet’s nest that’s already fallen out of its tree and been dashed on the ground?

Maybe that’s why I’m so relieved to be out of the barrel. The fact that someone would deliberately go to these lengths to wantonly trigger so many people, so unnecessarily, is exactly what I’m looking to avoid these days. No one likes a sore winner, Cathie. Wishing you luck following up the Tesla trade, and dealing with all the new acquaintances this video will lead to.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s funny. I’m just not sure of why you’d feel the need to do it.

For context, here’s Cathie’s ETF versus the stock market, with a look at the explosion in assets under management below:

This content, which contains security-related opinions and/or information, is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon in any manner as professional advice, or an endorsement of any practices, products or services. There can be no guarantees or assurances that the views expressed here will be applicable for any particular facts or circumstances, and should not be relied upon in any manner. You should consult your own advisers as to legal, business, tax, and other related matters concerning any investment.

The commentary in this “post” (including any related blog, podcasts, videos, and social media) reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints, and analyses of the Ritholtz Wealth Management employees providing such comments, and should not be regarded the views of Ritholtz Wealth Management LLC. or its respective affiliates or as a description of advisory services provided by Ritholtz Wealth Management or performance returns of any Ritholtz Wealth Management Investments client.

References to any securities or digital assets, or performance data, are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others.

Wealthcast Media, an affiliate of Ritholtz Wealth Management, receives payment from various entities for advertisements in affiliated podcasts, blogs and emails. Inclusion of such advertisements does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof, or any affiliation therewith, by the Content Creator or by Ritholtz Wealth Management or any of its employees. Investments in securities involve the risk of loss. For additional advertisement disclaimers see here: https://www.ritholtzwealth.com/advertising-disclaimers

Please see disclosures here.