The Deal
Saturday, July 4, 
7:56 pm

Being Carl Icahn

  Share     E-Mail    Discussion    Print Story

121602_cicahn%2C0.jpgMove over Mark Cuban, Overstock.com Inc.'s Patrick Bryne or hedge funder Jeff Matthews. There's a new market macher eager to blog away. And this one's really cash rich: the inimitable Carl Icahn. Yes, the very same Icahn who has given headaches to management at BEA Systems Inc., Biogen Idec Inc., Motorola Inc. and many, many more over many, many years is launching a blog simply named The Icahn Report. Welcome, Carl.

Continue reading below

Also on Dealscape

According to The Wall Street Journal, Icahn said, "The site would feature reports written or directed by him taking shots at things shareholders should find objectionable, such as excessive compensation or fancy perks amid poor performance." What, between berating CEOs and 24-hour scheming, Icahn doesn't have enough time to write everything himself? A little writing advice, don't use profanities. That got Sam Zell into trouble this week. And does this mean Icahn won't spend as much time hectoring folks on the phone between midnight and dawn?

Additionally, the Journal noted, "He said he will focus the reports on companies he doesn't own shares in for legal reasons unless he's openly targeting them for change." So, unlike Cuban, who actively writes about companies he's invested in, Icahn isn't looking to cause trouble with the SEC, just with directors and senior management who no doubt will be clicking through every day to see what's on his mind. Whether Icahn can ever convince readers that everything he writes is not squarely in his own self-interest is another question entirely. - Matthew Wurtzel

See story from The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
See story about Icahn speech at the RiskMetrics' 2008 Corporate Governance Conference from TheDeal.com
See Dealscape: Sam Zell brings new meaning to the term 'corporate pirate'





Post a comment





The Deal Pipeline

Deal Video


Inside The Deal: SecondMarket's Silbert on helping VCs achieve pre-IPO liquidity for their investments.


More video...

Crisis On Wall Street
Technology
Deals of The Decade

Community

Industry Insight

Potential FBAR filing changes

Offshore hedge funds and private equity funds may be 'financial accounts' for which investors must file FBAR.


Industry Insight

Finger on the pulse

Things PE investors should keep in mind to maintain the support and commitment from their lenders and limited partners.


Industry Insight

Closing the tough deal

Terms and structures now used to get deals done are post-closing purchase price payments, earnouts, simultaneous acquisitions, rollups, payments in kind and joint ventures.


footspacer.jpg footspacer.jpg footspacer.jpg footspacer.jpg footspacer.jpg


©Copyright 2009, The Deal, LLC. All rights reserved. Please send all technical questions, comments or concerns to the Webmaster.