I'm not a huge TV person. I'll engage in a couple guilty pleasures- Real Housewives, I'm shamelessly a sucker. But I tend to stick with financial news on CNBC. As far as shows go, I migrate towards anything having to do with business. Succession on HBO is a newbie but, in my mind, there is absolutely nothing that touches my absolute obsession. Billions on Showtime. The main character, Bobby Axelrod is the hedge fund magnate behind Axe Capital. It is hard not to desire and be in awe of this Metallica blasting, sports car driving, multi billionaire alpha male. A crash-pad with sweeping views of Manhattan to his Greenwich home base to a palatial pad in Southampton on Meadow Lane, he makes what he coins "F you money." Many draw parallels to former SAC Capital boss, Steve Cohen. SAC Capital was fairly synonymous with insider trading. In 2010, the SEC opened a case. By 2013, the firm had plead guilty to the charges and many indicted. If you are familiar with the case and enjoy the show check out, Black Edge. So is he corrupt? Yes. This is the entire premise of the show. How close to the law can you skirt before you get caught. How manipulative can you be to make an immense amount of money while keeping the SEC off your scent. As narcissistic as he seems, he is a fairly likeable character many would say. He is the face of capitalism. Coming from nothing, he worked until he made it. Caddying for arrogant businessmen who now ask him for money. The show has celebrity cameos from real life business tycoons- the likes of Sara Blakley of Spanx to hotelier Jonathan Tisch to Avenue Cap boss Marc Lasry. The show is complicated with life, business and the insatiable desire to live on the edge. Incredibly accurate & well written, the Showtime original is directed by a slew of people familiar with financial markets, of which include Andrew Ross Sorkin of CNBC's Squawk Box. This show is riddled with pithy one-liners that serve as major business motivation (the legal way, let me clarify.) Here are a couple quotes that embody the power, drive and lust for more that have shaped the first 3 seasons. "You don't have to outswim the shark. You just have to outswim the guy you're scuba diving with." "No one quits while they're ahead. This isn't France. It's America." "Calculation is not something to be scoffed at. It's a tool. A tactic. And I use it proudly and often." "I like nightmares. When I wake up, they leave me deeply valuing my reality." "You know your shopper isn't your friend. Your personal trainer doesn't actually think you're making progress and all the charities you give money to don't actually honor you when they honor you." "The fact you can't fully understand that doesn't mean he's wrong. It just means you haven't gone beyond your own limits." "Foolishness is right next door to strength." "A lot of guys watch Bruce Lee movies. Doesn't mean they can do karate." "You don't try to be loyal. You just are. Or you're not." "Get good at letting go, which is a different kind of freedom." "It's not easy to do. But people are at their best when they feel appreciated." "Meaning matters more to me than happiness." "When did it become a crime to succeed in this country? People used to want to be the guy in the limousine. They still do. But now they throw eggs at it." "The greats never sacrifice the important for the urgent. They handle the immediate problem and still make sure to secure the future." "Nobody leaves a negotiation happy." "What is it you do that you're the best in the world at?" And the grand finale:
"What's the point of having f*** you money, if you never say f*** you?" "The moral of the story is, you get one life, so do it all."
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