logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
1h 10m

The Fund: Rob Copeland on Ray Dalio

Sarah Edmondson & Anthony “Nippy” Ames
About this episode

This episode is sponsored by Better Help.

Is the famed hedge fund Bridgewater Associates operating a cult in plain sight? Or is it just a little bit culty? Journalist and author Rob Copeland joins us for a deep dive into Wall Street’s seedy underbelly, and the troubling story of Bridgewater’s founder—the pseudo philosopher-king Ray Dalio. You’ll want to read Rob’s NYT bestseller ‘The Fund’  this summer, if you haven’t already, and then you can decide whether or not you agree with us that Ray Dalio is radiating serious Keith Raniere vibes. Rob joins us to chat about Dalio’s strange world and the uncanny parallels between the planet’s largest hedge fund and NXIVM. About Rob Copeland: 

Rob Copeland is a finance reporter for the New York Times. He was previously the longtime hedge-fund beat reporter at the Wall Street Journal, and has also covered Silicon Valley and the hidden worlds of the wealthy and powerful. His front-page investigations into Bridgewater Associates won a New York Press Club award; he was also awarded an honorable mention twice by the Society of American Business Writers (SABEW) and was named a News Media Alliance "Rising Star" (formerly Top 30 Under 30). He has appeared on ABC’s "Good Morning America," NPR and other major news networks. His NYT Bestseller The Fund was published in late 2023, and we get why it topped the charts: We think it is a freakin’ page turner!

Show Notes: Assorted articles about The Fund, and Ray Dalio. (Sorry, but we don’t control paywalls.) NY Post article 

 

Business Insider article 

 

Vanity Fair article 

 

NY Mag article with book excerpt 

 

Airmail article

 

NY Times feature (2017)

 

Also…let it be known that:

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.

 

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah’s TEDTalk

 

Credits:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

 

Up next
Jul 7
Memoir of Madness in a Cult of One - Sarma Melngailis Spills All the Tea on Healing (Part 1)
Raw vegan queen turned Netflix “villain”? In this episode, we sit down with Sarma Melngailis – yes, Bad Vegan Sarma – to get the real story behind the headlines. She’s back for her third culty chat, this time with the exclusive on her brand-new memoir The Girl with the Duck Tatto ... Show More
32m 2s
Jul 3
Bonus Drop: Dr. Laura Richards & Lisa Bilyeu on Cults, Control & Dirty Diddy Secrets
This week, we’re diving deep into the twisted world of coercive control with the one and only Dr. Laura Richards – renowned criminal behavioral analyst, podcaster, and global expert on stalking, coercive control, and violent crime. We’re also joined by Lisa Bilyeu, host of Women ... Show More
24m 55s
Jun 26
Mindf*ck 102: MK Ultra, Crypto Cults & Modern Brainwashing with Rebecca Lemov (Part 2)
This week, we’re back with Harvard professor and author Rebecca Lemov to finish what we started: unraveling the tangled web of brainwashing…past, present, and disturbingly future-facing. In Part 2, we go deeper into the CIA’s infamous MK Ultra program and its many (many) spin-off ... Show More
31 m
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
Charlie Chaplin Created MASSIVE WEALTH ... before America DEPORTED him With Scott Eyman
Scott Eyman was formerly the literary critic at The Palm Beach Post and is the author or coauthor of sixteen books, including the bestseller John Wayne and Pieces of My Heart and You Must Remember This with actor Robert Wagner. Eyman also writes book reviews for The Wall Street J ... Show More
53m 51s
May 2
TIP718: Buffett & Munger Unscripted by Alex Morris
In this episode, Clay dives into Buffett and Munger Unscripted by Alex Morris. This book is a treasure trove of timeless investing wisdom from decades of Berkshire Hathaway annual meetings. The episode highlights Warren and Charlie’s most powerful lessons on capital allocation, b ... Show More
1h 9m
Apr 1
‘Our Kids Are the Least Flourishing Generation We Know Of’
There’s something of a policy revolution afoot: As of March, more than a dozen states — including California, Florida and Ohio — have passed bills or adopted policies that aim to limit cellphone usage at school. More are expected to follow.Jonathan Haidt is the leader of this par ... Show More
1h 11m
Aug 2024
RWH048: Betting Billions On Outlier Talent w/ Adam Shapiro
In this episode, William Green chats with Adam Shapiro, Managing Partner at East Rock Capital. Adam oversees billions on behalf of eight vastly rich families, allocating their assets to everything from hedge funds to private equity. Here, he explains how to build & safeguard weal ... Show More
2h 3m
Jan 2025
Scandal, Sleaze and the Collapse of Credit Suisse, with Duncan Mavin
Duncan Mavin is a seasoned international financial journalist, editor at Bloomberg and critically acclaimed author. In his new book, Meltdown: Scandal, Sleaze and the Collapse of Credit Suisse, Mavin unravels how risky deals, rogue executives, and systemic hubris unraveled a 166- ... Show More
48m 19s
Mar 2025
The Last 2 Months — and Next 2 Years — of U.S. Politics
It’s our first subscriber-only “Ask Me Anything” of the year. The show’s executive producer, Claire Gordon, joins me to discuss your questions about the risk of a constitutional crisis and how Democrats, businesses and universities are responding to President Trump. Thank you to ... Show More
37m 21s
Feb 2025
334: BRYAN JOHNSON: The Controversial Anti-Aging Millionaire Determined To Live Forever
If you’ve been on social media for more than 20 minutes in the past two years, chances are you know about Bryan Johnson, the tech millionaire in Silicon Valley intent on living forever. For most of his career, Bryan has been an unassuming CEO in the style of early Jeff Bezos. He ... Show More
2h 33m
Dec 2024
TIP686: Big Tech Stocks w/ Adam Seessel
On today’s episode, Clay is joined by Adam Seessel to discuss the developments of Big Tech over the past couple of years. Adam is an investor in Alphabet and Amazon, and in this discussion, he shares his updated thoughts on the two since he published his book, Where the Money Is, ... Show More
1h 3m