Sorry for being MIA since the announcement of Nader’s ouster was made. As some of you have postulated I was brought in for an interview yesterday and I’m just now getting to the airport for my return flight to the east coast. It was interesting.
There was some confusion at first because when my team was approached about speaking to the committee I was told it was for a “high level position” and had no idea it would be Nader’s role. Which made it super awkward during last night’s recipe club call because he knew I was going to be up for his role. The recipe he shared with me was for a rare fish called Bastard Mullet, which I thought was just random until he said it was topped with a “go fuck yourself mango salsa”.
Anyway, I arrived for the interview early in the morning. They paid for my ticket, which was expected. But it was on Spirit Airlines, which was unfortunate as they’re the most budget of the budget airlines. Cytodyn didn’t pay for any upgrades and before I boarded I noticed my seat class was “pre-conomy”, which I was unfamiliar with. That turned out to be a cheaper version of basic economy where you physically share a single seat with someone. They also don’t supply any beverages or snacks but will laugh in your face when you ask, so I had that going for me, which is nice.
There was a nice vehicle waiting to escort me to the offices and I was pleasantly surprised to see Christine Corrado driving. She spent the whole drive pronouncing Leronlimab incorrectly but damn if she isn’t too cute to correct.
I met Scott Kelly at reception and was whisked away to the break room for a few minutes because I was early. They offered me a coffee and a Danish. I was told I could heat up the Danish in the microwave if I wanted but I wasn’t born yesterday. #Fish
The interview went well and I was asked a variety of weird questions that I wanted to share in case any of you get called up. Here they are, with my answers, in no particular order:
If you were a cheese, which cheese would you be?
I’d be room temperature cheddar. Maybe a nice Wisconsin cheddar, thanks to my midwestern roots. Or possibly a sharp cheddar from Tillamook in Oregon, hoping to score points with my regional cheese knowledge. But regardless, cheddar is versatile and dependable. It never disappoints, never fails. Room temperature brings out the best in it, though it’s delicious hot or cold, melted, shredded, or eaten straight from the brick like a psychopath. Be wary of people who align with bullshit cheeses like blue cheese (it’s rotten!), gruyere (gtfo with your choice based solely on wanting to sound fancy), or goat cheese (If you want to like cheese but wish it tasted shittier!). No, you want cheddar. You need cheddar.
You're standing on the surface of the Earth. You walk one mile south, one mile west, and one mile north. You end up exactly where you started. Where are you? (famous Elon Musk question)
Where am I? I’m in an uber heading back to the airport because this question is terrible. I’m not here because I can figure out riddles. I’m here because you have a drug that needs approval, a company that needs a leader, and for someone to finally sack up and throw that microwave out of your breakroom.
What is your favorite quote?
“Mister Plow, that’s my name. That name again, is Mister Plow.” – Homer J. Simpson
Final answer.
A hammer and a nail cost $1.10, and the hammer costs one dollar more than the nail. How much does the nail cost?
There is no answer, this is a trick question. While I’m busy trying to remember some useless math formula from high school so I can solve this useless answer, Gilead is walking all over your sorry asses in the mTNBC market and Remdesivir, even though it’s smaller and weaker, is shoving your head in the toilet and calling you a pussy. NO FURTHER QUESTIONS!
So I walked out with my swag bag (just a hefty bag full of logoed coffee mugs and one framed picture of the last supper) and told them to call me back when they’re serious about fixing their problems. Because the fact of the matter is I was never going to get that job in the first place. This whole process of finding a new CEO is just a formality. They have to pretend like they’re opening up the search to any qualified candidate when it’s pretty obvious they’ll magically come up with their choice in the coming days and that person will magically have all sorts of ties to whoever partners with us, finances us, or buys us out.
All of this strategery with Nader and the board is for reasons they can’t fully discuss yet. You could argue that Nader earned that termination with how things have gone the last two to three years. Lots of delays, a few self owns, and a share price that has returned to 2019 levels despite LL being so much closer to commercialization. You wouldn’t get much disagreement that he deserved to go. It was time. He did a tenacious, admirable job in taking Leronlimab off the shelf and positioning it as a potential platform drug. And hell, maybe that tenacity is why we weren’t bought out for $2/share years ago. But it’s time to level up and he’s no longer the right guy.
Who is the right guy if it isn’t me or Nader?
Great question.
I think it’s important to consider that it wasn’t just a move to replace Nader. Scott Kelly stepped down as chairman and both his role and Nader’s are now handled by two of the company’s newest faces. Such an abrupt and significant shakeup for no other reason than Nader underperforming seems a little extreme. Scott Kelly is the second most recognizable public face of Cytodyn and he’s been extremely effective with his time in the spotlight. With Recknor quickly moving into a close second place, does anyone know more about LL and Cytodyn at this point?
So it then seems quite odd that with Nader leaving he isn’t maintaining his position as chairman of the board to help steward the company forward during this transition, which no doubt involves some turbulent waters. They didn’t seem all that concerned with increasing the independence of the board in the past, and we’re closer than ever to commercialization. Whether it’s a good move or not (I think it absolutely is) why all the change this late in the game?
Logically, seeing all of these moves at once leads me to believe there is much more going on than just Nader-specific performance issues. A money guy is now our temporary president. An expert in “corporate governance, corporate finance, business growth and securities litigation, compliance and regulatory issues” now chairs the board. Both are relatively new to their time with Cytodyn. Scott Kelly has voluntarily (?) shifted out of the spotlight some, but thankfully is still an important part of the team, which otherwise has seemed to remain intact.
It looks to me like there’s something being orchestrated behind the scenes for reasons that haven’t come to light. Though I think we can narrow it down to three strong possibilities.
The first is that it’s Nash related. We’re waiting on the 700mg data and by all accounts we were supposed to know about it weeks ago. It was part of the canceled call agenda. Nader said something weeks ago about hoping he could share information with us about a partner in ten days or so. It was a mildly confusing sentence, as many of his were, so who knows. There was the “results before Christmas” talk from Nader with Recknor’s agreement on that timeline. I still think he was talking about 700mg and not the 350mg which was released prior to Christmas as well. And if I’m not mistaken, Recknor sent Evil Rabbit a reply email where he said Nash data was “coming soon” and I think he even used an exclamation point! That burst of enthusiasm probably drained him for the entirety of the day afterward.
But my point is that we were supposed to know already, the 700mg should in no way perform any worse than the 350mg data which was strong, and then we have this chain of events kicked off with the cancellation of the conference call.
This, to me, is the main catalyst behind all of the data delays, cancellation of the call, and leadership shakeup. Does that mean a Nash partner or a buyout driven by a potential Nash partner? I don’t know. Regardless, it feels very, umm, to use the word of the day, intertwingled.
Speaking of a buyout, my second possibility, I think the board and CEO changes speak loudly on its behalf. I’m not a long-time or hotshot investor. Just a devastatingly handsome man trying to singlehandedly support the beef industry and make a few bucks for a beach house. What I do know about vesting (my cool way of saying “investing” that I can tell you absolutely nobody likes)? But would a partner for just a single indication of Leronlimab’s many be able to dictate so much change? Seems like Cytodyn would be giving up much too much control for just one indication. Which is why I’m leaning toward a buyout more than just a Nash partner.
However, maybe it’s a major financing partner and they aren’t interested in climbing on the back of our motorcycle without some changes occurring first. Break up some of the ol’ boys club and get serious. Then, and only then, will they wrap their strong arms around us and mount our hog.
All that said, no company is making these changes while holding back strong results in a phase 2 Nash trial for funsies. There’s your key. Now we just need to find out who’s holding the lock.
Respertfully Yours,
Happy Hour Respert
There was some confusion at first because when my team was approached about speaking to the committee I was told it was for a “high level position” and had no idea it would be Nader’s role. Which made it super awkward during last night’s recipe club call because he knew I was going to be up for his role. The recipe he shared with me was for a rare fish called Bastard Mullet, which I thought was just random until he said it was topped with a “go fuck yourself mango salsa”.
Anyway, I arrived for the interview early in the morning. They paid for my ticket, which was expected. But it was on Spirit Airlines, which was unfortunate as they’re the most budget of the budget airlines. Cytodyn didn’t pay for any upgrades and before I boarded I noticed my seat class was “pre-conomy”, which I was unfamiliar with. That turned out to be a cheaper version of basic economy where you physically share a single seat with someone. They also don’t supply any beverages or snacks but will laugh in your face when you ask, so I had that going for me, which is nice.
There was a nice vehicle waiting to escort me to the offices and I was pleasantly surprised to see Christine Corrado driving. She spent the whole drive pronouncing Leronlimab incorrectly but damn if she isn’t too cute to correct.
I met Scott Kelly at reception and was whisked away to the break room for a few minutes because I was early. They offered me a coffee and a Danish. I was told I could heat up the Danish in the microwave if I wanted but I wasn’t born yesterday. #Fish
The interview went well and I was asked a variety of weird questions that I wanted to share in case any of you get called up. Here they are, with my answers, in no particular order:
If you were a cheese, which cheese would you be?
I’d be room temperature cheddar. Maybe a nice Wisconsin cheddar, thanks to my midwestern roots. Or possibly a sharp cheddar from Tillamook in Oregon, hoping to score points with my regional cheese knowledge. But regardless, cheddar is versatile and dependable. It never disappoints, never fails. Room temperature brings out the best in it, though it’s delicious hot or cold, melted, shredded, or eaten straight from the brick like a psychopath. Be wary of people who align with bullshit cheeses like blue cheese (it’s rotten!), gruyere (gtfo with your choice based solely on wanting to sound fancy), or goat cheese (If you want to like cheese but wish it tasted shittier!). No, you want cheddar. You need cheddar.
You're standing on the surface of the Earth. You walk one mile south, one mile west, and one mile north. You end up exactly where you started. Where are you? (famous Elon Musk question)
Where am I? I’m in an uber heading back to the airport because this question is terrible. I’m not here because I can figure out riddles. I’m here because you have a drug that needs approval, a company that needs a leader, and for someone to finally sack up and throw that microwave out of your breakroom.
What is your favorite quote?
“Mister Plow, that’s my name. That name again, is Mister Plow.” – Homer J. Simpson
Final answer.
A hammer and a nail cost $1.10, and the hammer costs one dollar more than the nail. How much does the nail cost?
There is no answer, this is a trick question. While I’m busy trying to remember some useless math formula from high school so I can solve this useless answer, Gilead is walking all over your sorry asses in the mTNBC market and Remdesivir, even though it’s smaller and weaker, is shoving your head in the toilet and calling you a pussy. NO FURTHER QUESTIONS!
So I walked out with my swag bag (just a hefty bag full of logoed coffee mugs and one framed picture of the last supper) and told them to call me back when they’re serious about fixing their problems. Because the fact of the matter is I was never going to get that job in the first place. This whole process of finding a new CEO is just a formality. They have to pretend like they’re opening up the search to any qualified candidate when it’s pretty obvious they’ll magically come up with their choice in the coming days and that person will magically have all sorts of ties to whoever partners with us, finances us, or buys us out.
All of this strategery with Nader and the board is for reasons they can’t fully discuss yet. You could argue that Nader earned that termination with how things have gone the last two to three years. Lots of delays, a few self owns, and a share price that has returned to 2019 levels despite LL being so much closer to commercialization. You wouldn’t get much disagreement that he deserved to go. It was time. He did a tenacious, admirable job in taking Leronlimab off the shelf and positioning it as a potential platform drug. And hell, maybe that tenacity is why we weren’t bought out for $2/share years ago. But it’s time to level up and he’s no longer the right guy.
Who is the right guy if it isn’t me or Nader?
Great question.
I think it’s important to consider that it wasn’t just a move to replace Nader. Scott Kelly stepped down as chairman and both his role and Nader’s are now handled by two of the company’s newest faces. Such an abrupt and significant shakeup for no other reason than Nader underperforming seems a little extreme. Scott Kelly is the second most recognizable public face of Cytodyn and he’s been extremely effective with his time in the spotlight. With Recknor quickly moving into a close second place, does anyone know more about LL and Cytodyn at this point?
So it then seems quite odd that with Nader leaving he isn’t maintaining his position as chairman of the board to help steward the company forward during this transition, which no doubt involves some turbulent waters. They didn’t seem all that concerned with increasing the independence of the board in the past, and we’re closer than ever to commercialization. Whether it’s a good move or not (I think it absolutely is) why all the change this late in the game?
Logically, seeing all of these moves at once leads me to believe there is much more going on than just Nader-specific performance issues. A money guy is now our temporary president. An expert in “corporate governance, corporate finance, business growth and securities litigation, compliance and regulatory issues” now chairs the board. Both are relatively new to their time with Cytodyn. Scott Kelly has voluntarily (?) shifted out of the spotlight some, but thankfully is still an important part of the team, which otherwise has seemed to remain intact.
It looks to me like there’s something being orchestrated behind the scenes for reasons that haven’t come to light. Though I think we can narrow it down to three strong possibilities.
The first is that it’s Nash related. We’re waiting on the 700mg data and by all accounts we were supposed to know about it weeks ago. It was part of the canceled call agenda. Nader said something weeks ago about hoping he could share information with us about a partner in ten days or so. It was a mildly confusing sentence, as many of his were, so who knows. There was the “results before Christmas” talk from Nader with Recknor’s agreement on that timeline. I still think he was talking about 700mg and not the 350mg which was released prior to Christmas as well. And if I’m not mistaken, Recknor sent Evil Rabbit a reply email where he said Nash data was “coming soon” and I think he even used an exclamation point! That burst of enthusiasm probably drained him for the entirety of the day afterward.
But my point is that we were supposed to know already, the 700mg should in no way perform any worse than the 350mg data which was strong, and then we have this chain of events kicked off with the cancellation of the conference call.
This, to me, is the main catalyst behind all of the data delays, cancellation of the call, and leadership shakeup. Does that mean a Nash partner or a buyout driven by a potential Nash partner? I don’t know. Regardless, it feels very, umm, to use the word of the day, intertwingled.
Speaking of a buyout, my second possibility, I think the board and CEO changes speak loudly on its behalf. I’m not a long-time or hotshot investor. Just a devastatingly handsome man trying to singlehandedly support the beef industry and make a few bucks for a beach house. What I do know about vesting (my cool way of saying “investing” that I can tell you absolutely nobody likes)? But would a partner for just a single indication of Leronlimab’s many be able to dictate so much change? Seems like Cytodyn would be giving up much too much control for just one indication. Which is why I’m leaning toward a buyout more than just a Nash partner.
However, maybe it’s a major financing partner and they aren’t interested in climbing on the back of our motorcycle without some changes occurring first. Break up some of the ol’ boys club and get serious. Then, and only then, will they wrap their strong arms around us and mount our hog.
All that said, no company is making these changes while holding back strong results in a phase 2 Nash trial for funsies. There’s your key. Now we just need to find out who’s holding the lock.
Respertfully Yours,
Happy Hour Respert
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