Martin Shkreli, the former hedge fund manager better known as "Pharma Bro," spent Thursday scolding finance influencers on social media after watching them dissect Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) earnings like amateur detectives hunting for clues. His verdict? Most of them wouldn't recognize basic accounting if it hit them in the face.
When Inventory Numbers Become Internet Drama
The whole thing started when Nvidia posted its third-quarter results and certain corners of financial social media decided to sound the alarm bells. Shkreli took to X with a plea: "I am begging some of you wannabe finance influencers to spend 6 months on Wall Street in any capacity whatsoever."
He was particularly annoyed by a podcast host who pointed out that Nvidia's inventories rose 32% from the previous quarter and framed it as ammunition for bears. Shkreli quoted the post and added, "This is why the internet sucks. People who have no clue get the same megaphone."
He didn't stop there, going after other high-follower accounts for what he saw as cherry-picked bearish interpretations of the quarterly report. In Shkreli's view, these influencers were reading tea leaves while completely missing the fundamentals.
The Internet Fires Back With Receipt-Based Comedy
Naturally, the replies got spicy. The Polymarket Money account decided to remind everyone that Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in prison for securities fraud in 2018. Their response? A tongue-in-cheek suggestion that since Wall Street might be off-limits, perhaps jail time would count as equivalent financial education.
Another commenter wrote, "Take the L. Burry right, you wrong," referring to investor Michael Burry's Thursday hot take that Nvidia's $112.5 billion in buybacks since 2018 have delivered "zero" shareholder value once you factor in dilution from stock-based compensation. Shkreli's comeback to that one? A string of laugh emojis.
Global Crackdown on Financial Influencers Heats Up
Shkreli's rant arrives at an interesting moment. Both Malaysia and China are tightening regulations around financial influencers to combat misleading or unlicensed advice. According to a Forbes report, China now requires influencers discussing professional subjects like finance to display verified credentials on their platforms.
Malaysia is taking an even harder line, according to a Malay Mail report from earlier this week. The country is implementing tougher rules that could result in substantial fines and even jail time for unlicensed financial promoters. The message is clear: giving financial advice without proper qualifications is becoming a risky business.
What Actually Happened With Nvidia
Lost in all the social media sparring is the fact that Nvidia posted genuinely impressive numbers. The company reported record third-quarter revenue of $57.0 billion, representing a 62% jump year-over-year. CEO Jensen Huang summed up the AI boom with characteristic flair: "AI is going everywhere, doing everything, all at once."
Shkreli has been consistently bullish on the chipmaker. He's previously argued that Nvidia is "still undervalued" and defended the company's strategy back in August. He also supported Nvidia's September commitment to invest up to $100 billion with partners to expand OpenAI's data-center buildout.
On Thursday, NVDA stock closed the regular session down 3.15% at $180.64, then ticked up 0.25% in after-hours trading. Over the past year, shares have climbed 23.82%.
The debate over Nvidia's results highlights a broader tension in financial media: everyone has a platform now, but not everyone has the training to interpret complex financial statements. Whether stricter regulations in Asia will influence how financial content is created and consumed globally remains to be seen, but Shkreli's frustration suggests the gap between influence and expertise isn't going away anytime soon.