Good Morning and Happy Friday! OpenAI launched a tool to instantly convert text to video and showcased it with two dogs doing a podcast on a mountain. Retail sales fell more than expected in January at 0.8%. Investment banks and private equity firms are competing to finance debt-backed deals. A handful of smaller AI companies surged after Nvidia disclosed investments. Plus an Amazon recruiter shares the number one resume mistake she sees, and when success brings zero fulfillment.

Our 2024 Media Kit has been released. Fill out this form if you’d like to partner with Short Squeez to get in front of 600k+ finance professionals.

_{SQUEEZ OF THE DAY}

Another Goldman Banker Busted

If you work in banking, you might not want to blow off those compliance module videos. One Goldman banker from London is pleading ignorance for making a few unauthorized trades. And now the British banker, Mohammed Zina, was found guilty and faces up to 10 years of jail time.

Zina wasn’t just any ordinary Goldman Sachs employee. He still kept a job working minimum wage at a supermarket. He said it humbled him to work with “ordinary” people. But Zina didn’t realize that, just because he worked with ordinary people outside of Goldman, doesn’t mean he could trade like one.

Zina’s job in the Conflict Resolution Group gave him access to insider information that he used to buy shares in six companies. One of his biggest trades? He bought Arm Holdings after he caught wind of SoftBank’s $32 billion acquisition in 2016. Zina was able to net over a £140k profit using confidential information.

According to prosecutors, Zina tried talking his way out of it without a lawyer when he was first charged.

“I liked markets, I liked the way they moved, I just wish that I was more patient,” said a regretful Zina.

Takeaway: Here’s the moral of the story: Working in the bank's very department that's supposed to prevent insider trading and then getting caught trading is like being a lifeguard who can't swim – mind-blowingly absurd. It’s a cautionary tale for the digital finance era: don’t insider trade even if there is a shadow of doubt, unless you want to go to jail for 10 years.

_{SHORT SQUEEZ 2024 MEDIA KIT}

Partner with Short Squeez to Reach 600k Finance Professionals

If you are a company looking to get in front of one of the most engaged finance audiences out there, then we are here to help you.

Short Squeez has a network of ~600,000 professionals, from private equity and investment banking professionals to founders and C-Suite executives at Fortune 500 companies.

Our 2024 Media Kit has been released. Here are a quick few highlights:

• An average income of $237k among our readers.

• 79% aged between 18-44.

• 47% are leaders within their organizations.

• 30% hold Masters or PhD degrees.

• 41% are seasoned investment professionals.

• 14 million impressions per month across all our platforms.

Explore working with Short Squeez today to achieve your marketing and growth goals.

_HEADLINES

Top Reads

• Open AI launches text-to-video Sora tool (CNBC)

• Retail sales fell 0.8% in January, much more than expected (CNBC)

• Barclays VP sues for $290k, alleging discrimination (Reuters)

• Private equity hands shareholders a windfall despite slow sales (YF)

• The brutal reality of plunging office values is here (BB) 

• Infrastructure may take big toll on asset managers (Reuters)

• Smaller AI companies surge after Nvidia discloses investments (YF)

• Have Uber and Lyft finally found a way to make ride sharing profitable? (WSJ) 

• Tinder, Hinge maker Match Group sued over ‘addictive’ dating apps (NPR)

• America’s poorer counties are now investment boom towns (Axios)

• US banks, private equity firms compete to finance debt-backed deals (Reuters)

_{CAPITAL PULSE}

Markets Rundown

Stocks closed higher after a late-day rally.

Movers & Shakers

• (+) Shake Shack ($SHAK) +26% after the burger chain posted strong profit, 2024 outlook.

• (+) AppLovin ($APP) +25% because the mobile technology company crushed Q4 goals.

• (–) Twilio ($TWLO) -15% after the cloud communications company issued disappointing Q1 guidance.

Private Dealmaking

• Lambda, a GPU cloud company, raised $320 million 

• Buckthorn Partners sold Coretrax, a drilling and oil well tech firm, for $210 million

• Bending Spoons, an acquirer of apps like Evernote and Meetup, raised $155 million

• Together AI, an Nvidia chip reseller, raised $100 million

• Bold, an electronic payments infrastructure startup, raised $50 million

• PatientFi, a financing platform, raised $25 million

For more PE, VC & M&A deals, subscribe to our Buysiders newsletter.

_{BOOK OF THE DAY}

Let Me Save You 25 Years

A raucous and raw tale awaits within the pages of Shawn D. Nelson's part-memoir/part-business book, Let Me Save You 25 Years. As the Founder and CEO of Lovesac, Nelson unveils a magnificent and unvarnished account of his entrepreneurial journey spanning a quarter-century.

With unapologetic honesty, he shares both triumphant victories and humbling defeats, painting a vivid and authentic picture of the entrepreneurial rollercoaster.

From its humble beginnings as a college side gig through to its IPO and beyond, the Lovesac saga unfolds quickly through 25 gripping micro-chapters, each accompanied by a nugget of hard-earned wisdom.

These 25 key lessons, born from sweat, tears, and relentless determination, offer invaluable insights for success not only in business but in life as well. 

The narrative traces the path from those early days to the pinnacle of achievement―going public on the NASDAQ stock exchange―while imparting practical guidance for aspiring achievers in any field.

“Let Me Save You 25 Years isn't just a book; it's a mentor, a guide, and a source of inspiration for anyone with the ambition to carve their own legacy.”

_{DAILY VISUAL}

The Rise and Fall of AI

_{DAILY ACUMEN}

Ten Ways To Stand Out

Take care of your house

Learn to enjoy being wrong

Let curiosity guide you

Do the old-fashioned things well

Stop fearing boredom

Avoid perspective blindness

Find your tribe

Avoid the comparison trap

Stop taking everyone's advice

Avoid the need for external validation

Source: Sahil Bloom

_{ENLIGHTENMENT}

Short Squeez Picks

• Why self control is the #1 rule of the 21st century

• Why buying sports tickets has become so unaffordable 

• When success brings zero fulfillment 

• The number one resume mistake according to ex-Amazon recruiter

• If you only read a few books in 2024, read these

_{MEME-A-PALOOZA}

Memes of the Day