Friday, September 25, 2020

The FT's Izabella Kaminska Uncovers a Treacherous Plot

There must have been something in the water* at Alphaville Towers.

First, Paul Murphy and Dan McCrum, Ms Kaminska's former playmates in the mosh pit sandbox that is FT Alphaville break the Wirecard fraud story and now this, which, since it is early days and naming rights are still inexpensive I shall call The Circadian Conspiracy:
The story apparently begins in the High Tatras, now known as a winter playground along the Slovak-Polish border....and the site of an ancient monastery....
But that is not our story to tell.

Ours goes like this:
August 2, 2018
There Has Obviously Been A Coup d'Etat at FT Alphaville (TSLA)
Or is it a counter-coup?
Or counter-counter-coup?
The story thus far:

As we've pointed out over the years, the tactics from Luttwak's Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook, begin with seizing the means of communication.

1
Izabella Kaminska overthrows the tyrannical reign of Paul Murphy
(think William Tell v. Gessler)

II
Before she has even settled into her comfy editor's chair Dan McCrum declares a new day in the Ville
(think General Haig when Reagan was shot)

Mr. McCrum consolidates his power and ripping a page from the Kaminska playbook takes to video:


There are however two loose strands in this otherwise simple and straightforward recitation:

1) Mr. McCrum has been, how do you say in English, dubious of Elon Musk and Elon's promises and projections, yet in the video above he appears to show empathy for the billionaire.

Dan, if you are being held against your will or are being coerced into making this video, blink twice.

2) What role has David Keohane played in the power struggle? Although ostensibly in Paris and no longer a denizen d'Ville his mysterious comings and goings and travel itineraries worthy of James Bond himself raise troubling questions. Plus we have documentation of his throwing in with Izabella in a couple earlier abortive takeovers.
(think House Tully and House Stark alliance in Game of Thrones)

schedule of events:
DURING the past 23 years, more than half of the world's governments have been overthrown by coups d'etat. Conspirators are increasingly aware that complex societies are vulnerable to attack. Slash a wire, start a rumor, dump LSD into reservoirs:* today any determined guerrilla can stop The System. One man with one bullet can change history. A handful can take over a country.
-TIME
Acid in the FTAV reservoir?

Here's a review of  Luttwak by one of the great Cambridge Marxists of the '30's:

How to Plot Your Takeover
-Eric Hobsbawm at the New York Review of Putsch's

And the actual reason for this post, a cleaned up version of yesterday's Tesla earnings call liveblog:
Tesla Earnings Live, 1st August, 2018
The stock is up.
$343.29 +42.45 (14.11%)....


We'll be back tomorrow with more from Ms Kaminska including Risk, Prop Trading, and a Coded Message.