Unmasking a Seeking Alpha Hack

[longinvstr]

It’s always beneficial to know the context (motive) of who is behind the words.

I clicked on the author link for Motley Fools latest MNKD trash piece, “3 Popular Stocks That Have Us Spooked.” This is authored by Brian Feroldi


www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/10/31/3-popular-stocks-that-have-us-spooked.aspx?source=eogyholnk0000001&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article


In his Bio – Personal Quote, he quotes the philosopher Diogenes. Some of you may know of the anonymous hack that writes Afrezza scrip update pieces for Seeking Alpha. The one who takes facts and launches into wildly negative speculations about the implications for MNKD is known as Looking for Diogenes.


seekingalpha.com/article/3599246-mannkind-weekly-data-updatesminus-10-16-15-data


For me, the coincidence is enough evidence to believe the authors are connected and/or the same person. Obscure philosopher references + repeated vendetta MNKD trash articles = Bingo. My assumption is supported by the note in Mr Feroldi’s employment history as having been a Territory Manager for Insulet. Don’t they make an inferior pump to the one Al invented, developed and sold to Medtronic? Maybe Mr. Feroldi is looking to even the score & find someone to blame for his failure selling insulin pumps and now finding that his lot in life is to write disingenuous tripe for a dishonest employer.

I wonder if he uses an alias for cover in his Seeking Alpha “work” because writing there is in conflict with his contract at Motley Fool?


BTW: He lists one of his favorite video games as Super Smash Brothers. So, he does possess the singular redeeming quality of consistency.

[EveningOfTheDay]

Good investigative work.

[thekindaguyiyam]

very good.

[afrizzle]

Too obscure a reference to be a coincidence - nice sleuthing

if I was a little less mature and had a little more free time I'd follow him around in the seeking alpha comments section, the way he used to do to George Rho

There's no longer a reason to look for Diogenes

[Deleted]

Below is Feroldi's statement:

The philosopher Diogenes was quite famous but very poor. One day he was sitting eating his usual meal of bread and cooked lentils, all that he could afford. Another philosopher walked by Diogeneses. This man was Aristippus who was not nearly as well known as Diogenes but he lived a prosperous and comfortable life by constantly flattering the king. Aristippus said, “If you would learn to be subservient to the king, you would not have to live on lentils.” Said Diogenes: “If you would learn to live on lentils, you wouldn't have to be subservient to the king!”

[longinvstr]

Nov 3, 2015 7:07:11 GMT -5 afrizzle said:

if I was a little less mature and had a little more free time I'd follow him around  ...

I've got the immaturity part covered.  Exhibit A = Sailing craft with bra-shaped sails offered as avatar.  

We'll just hope that his low blows don't descend to a place where following him would feel productive.  Life is better with a focus on the horizon, not in a hole

[mnholdem]

Exhibit A is somewhat uplifting. 

[longinvstr]

I’ve decided further action is the mature approach to the Looking For Diogenes, Mr Feroldi questions. I want the game to be played fairly. I owe it to my family’s investment and I owe it to the people that can have their life improved by MNKD’s success. My motive is that in politics and in so many other parts of life, it has become OK to lie for the cause. The moral fabric of our society has severely deteriorated. Questions remain RE: IRS, Bengazi, private e-mail servers, keeping my doctor, the promised pitch of ACA driving cost down, etc, etc. I am angry and, if I can effect some positive change, it will not come from inaction.

On Mon, I sent the below information to both Motley Fool and Seeking Alpha. I have not heard back from either of them and see no evidence that any action has been taken. Last night, I attempted to post the fact portion of the info below to the “MannKind: Weekly Data Updates -10/23/15 Data,” post/thread by Looking For Diogenes. I made three attempts, each successive version more innocuous that the first. The last version contained only facts. All were rejected. Finally, I asked for help identifying the portion of my post that was in violation of their policy – no reply.

If they’ve reviewed the facts, looked into LFD’s identity and determined I’m wrong, I’d think they’d be proud to show their effort to maintain integrity. That effort and demonstration of would not require that anyone’s identity be revealed. I’ve tried to be fair by waiting five business days for a reply but, I’m now convinced, one is not coming. Perhaps, by posting here, it will cause them to be more motivated to investigate. Maybe some will reach the same conclusion as I and let SA & The Fool know how they feel. Maybe a public forum offers the best place for the little guy to effect a leveling of the playing field. Maybe SA and The Fool are aware of how contentious (% of float short, FTD’s, Shkreli, et al, etc) this battle is and, though remote, the prospect for an SEC inquiry. If one comes, it will surely include an accounting of the statements made by posters on public forums and representations of their very experienced backgrounds. I am optimistic that SA will weigh the revenue benefit of a few clicks against the prospect of being complicit in any misrepresentation.

I do not claim that any misrepresentation or illegal action has occurred. I present the facts and make clear my opinions as expressed in question form.

The Facts:

Brian Feroldi works at Motley Fool and has authored several, negative MNKD pieces
Brian Feroldi quotes the obscure philosopher Diogenes in his Bio. (A very, very obscure reference)
Brian Feroldi was employed by Insulet - Fool Bio
Brian Feroldi sold insulin pumps that competed directly with the one invented by Al Mann, now owned by Medtronic.
Brian Feroldi claims to have expertise in diabetes - Fool Bio
Brian Feroldi claims that Fool.com and SeekingAplha.com are his two most favorite websites - Fool Bio

Questions:

~Does Brian Feroldi have conflicting, misrepresentations about who he claims to be on his two favorite websites?

~Did Brian Feroldi misrepresent his background to Seeking Alpha readers?
>>I'm retired from a near 40 year career in the publishing industry working with an international publishing company. My investing experience is over a span of 40 years<<

~Did Brian Feroldi violate The Fool's "gulp" code of ethics policy?

>>For us, honesty has to go beyond what is legally defensible. Honesty also emphasizes the difference between core values and a code of ethics. Our core values serve as fundamental beliefs that we can turn to when making decisions. They should be easy to explain, embrace, and employ as decision-making tools. A code of ethics – although closely related — is generally a more formalized list of do’s and don’ts. It’s almost a *gulp* “policy.”<<

If he’s wearing my brand, I do not care if he is lying on my time or his time. A liar, like broken glass, either is, or is not.

~Does Brian Feroldi have a grudge to settle for his professional frustrations competing against Al Mann's invention?

Maybe not but, if not, why the need to misrepresent?

~Is Brian Feroldi accurate in not disclosing that he has a short position in MNKD on his Fool Bio?



To my mind, the circumstantial evidence is very convincing. I’m prepared to be wrong as stranger, more unlikely coincidences have occurred. I don’t know what a jury would do with it but, if I’m Seeking Alpha, I make the effort to insure I am not complicit in misrepresentations. If I’m The Fool, I make sure I do not have a liar on the roster. If I’m me, I take a swing at it, speak up and try, if only by a thread, to mend our moral fabric and make this a fair fight.

What do you think?

[dme306]

I have to say that I'm impressed by your collection of points that connect the dots. I'm also glad to say that in a court, "proof beyond and to the exclusion of every reasonable doubt" only applies in criminal law. In this case, civil torts or actions need proof of only 51% vs 49% and you make a sound case that this member of the jury votes, "GUILTY!" Best regards-dme

[liane]

I have tried to clean up this thread and remove posts that some find too obectionable politically, but you folks have managed to reply to things I've already taken down! So I've removed some more, and I'm locking the thread.