Nathaniel Popper just published his latest book, "The Trolls of Wall Street," covering the Wall Street Bets phenomenon. Funnily enough, his book comes at a time when there are striking similarities with the current memecoin mania in crypto.

In this episode, Popper explores the rise of online investing communities like Wall Street Bets and their reflection of broader societal changes, particularly among young men.

He also touches on the parallels between the trolling culture of these communities and the rise of figures like Donald Trump, and delves into the hidden dangers and psychological influences of memes in modern investing.

Show highlights:

01:21 The rise of online money communities and the shift towards investing based on ideas rather than traditional financial fundamentals
04:06 How the changing roles of young men in society have influenced the growth of crypto and online financial communities
13:36 How Robinhood's design choices changed retail investing, sparking FOMO and controversy by making trading as easy as a swipe
18:04 The hidden dangers of memes in modern investing, and how they balance fostering community with driving speculation
22:56 Why Trump's ties to the crypto community highlight the mix of serious intent and trolling
30:07 Crypto News Recap

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Guest

Nathaniel Popper, author of The Trolls of Wall Street

Links

Previous coverage of Unchained on memecoins:

The book:

Meme culture

WSJ:
Meme Stocks Are Back, but Fund Investors Moved On
Meet the ‘Degen’ Traders Fueling the Latest Meme-Stock Mania
CoinDesk: In Defense of Meme Coins
What else could memecoins be? By Vitalik Buterin

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