Behind the Bastards

Part Two: The Rise of the "Activist" Investor

June 11, 2026·1h 11m·6-min readconversationalcomedy
Podzilla Summary (6 min)
TLDR
Bill Ackman, the self-styled activist investor and Harvard MBA pirate, goes from corporate raider glory to public humiliation after a series of disastrous bets — most notably the JC Penney fiasco and his billion-dollar crusade against Herbalife — only to later morph into a MAGA-aligned id

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Guest

K

Kim Kelly

conversational on Behind the Bastards

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Bill AckmanRobertKim KellyRon JohnsonHoward SchultzCarl IcahnDan Loeb

Books

Fight Like Hellby Kim KellyFight to Winby Kim Kelly

Companies

HerbalifeJC PenneyPershing Square

Topics

Business NewsCorporate StrategyEntrepreneurshipInequalityInvestingPop CultureStock MarketUs Politics

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