Is Free Cash Flow Reporting Reliable and What About EBITDA?

Anthony Scilipoti is one of the sharpest minds in investing. He's the President and CEO of Veritas Group of Companies.

He called the collapses of both Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Nortel before they happened, and now he has some thoughts on AI.

We talk about asking better questions, reading the fine print, the role of short selling, and what it means to be wrong. We explore why AI gives you information but not insight, why cheap risk is often the most expensive, and why nothing matters until it does.

It's a conversation about the difference between seeing and understanding and the discipline to notice what everyone else ignores.

This episode is not investment advice.

It’s time to listen and learn.

-----

About Anthony Anthony Scilipoti is one of the sharpest minds in investing. He's the President and CEO of Veritas Group of Companies.

-----

Approximate Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:26) Early Career

(02:53) The Enron Scandal

(05:48) Lessons on Auditing

(16:12) The AI 'Bubble' and the State of the Market

(18:46) Ad Break

(20:50) The AI 'Bubble' and the State of the Market (Cont.)

(28:12) Parallels Between the Fall of Nortel Networks and the Current AI Economy

(35:15) Ad Break

(36:10) Parallels Between the Fall of Nortel Networks and the Current AI Economy (Cont.)

(39:14) Investing Rules for Better Investments

(42:14) Red Flags to Look Out for When Investing?

(45:56) The Rise and Fall of Valeant Pharmaceuticals

(53:04) Is a Complicated Corporate Structure Bad?

(55:54) Companies Don't Start Out Being Crooked

(57:53) Why is EBITDA a Disastrous Measurement?

(1:00:47) How Should Investors See Stock Options / How to Account for Stock Options

(1:06:30) What Incentives to Look for in a Company When Investing?

(1:11:31) The Rise of Index Investing

(1:15:41) Buybacks and Share Count

(1:21:21) What Makes Warren Buffett a Unique Investor?

(1:26:58) The Power of the Retail Investor

(1:32:30) What Is Success for You?

----- Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: Basecamp: Stop struggling, start making progress. Get somewhere with Basecamp. Sign up free at http://basecamp.com/knowledgeproject reMarkable: Get your paper tablet at https://www.reMarkable.com today .tech domains: Nothing says tech like being on .tech https://get.tech/

-----

Upgrade: Get a hand edited transcripts and ad free experiences along with my thoughts and reflections at the end of every conversation. Learn more @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
------
Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
------
Follow Shane Parrish
X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ShaneAParrish⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Insta ⁠@farnamstreet⁠

LinkedIn ⁠Shane Parrish

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices