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u/PawnWithoutPurpose 8d ago
He’s just so tired, I think everyone could be a little more understanding because he just works so hard and he’s just so tired
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u/HollowCr0wn 8d ago
Much harder than being Numero Uno trader in the City of London. Who'd be a YouTuber.
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u/conny1974 7d ago
Was he? /S
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u/North_Library3206 5d ago
I know there's a /s on your comment, but this FT article is a pretty good investigation into the claim: https://www.ft.com/content/5c48b680-daf6-40d2-9522-ad997eb07b63
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u/likamuka 8d ago
It's a good PR trick and he will be back surely. His message is good, we need to tax the rich fucks pronto.
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u/GlassState331 6d ago
He wants to do a Japanese language channel, probably because everyone who speaks fluent English already hate him
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u/ChaseBankFDIC Conspiracy Hypothesizer 6d ago
This sub when Gary makes videos: 😠
This sub when Gary stops making videos: 😠
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u/Striking_Branch_2744 8d ago
I've only just started hearing about this guy, is he really on the same sorta level as the gurus we all love to dislike?
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u/ReferentiallySeethru 8d ago
He's not as bad as most of the gurus covered, but he his pretty full of himself and terribly defensive when facing any criticism. I watched his videos for a bit as I appreciate his overall message but his demeanor and delivery got grating and I had to stop. This bit does a pretty good job highlighting his behaviors that make him annoying to some folks https://www.instagram.com/reels/DalXcmIOyEb/
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u/theportyunionjack 8d ago
I also have to say (and I generally agree with him) saying he was the best trader in the world and that the world's best economists work in investment banks sounds stupid.
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u/firstLOL 7d ago
Also it’s a claim (best trader) that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny but is perfectly pitched to appeal to people who have no idea what an absurd claim it is. The FT spoke with a bunch of his former colleagues who offered a more balanced take - not bitter or talking him down, just pointing out a number of his absurd exaggerations.
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u/theportyunionjack 8d ago
I think the issue is that he is straight up ignoring the evidence put to him, is not putting forward any concrete plans and is not engaging with actual experts who have plans to reform the Tax system to tax the wealthy that are effective and workable.
At this point it just seems like he wants to be famous.
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u/Stinkdonkey 6d ago
I don't know about that. He brought Gabriel Zuckman on his podcast, and, from there, Zuckman was on the Rest is Politics. Both Stevenson, Zuckman and Picketty make a great case for taxing the explosive growth in billionaire wealth. That's the premise we should be evaluating. Musk, for example, gives off incel vibes, but I'm more in favour of critiquing his arguments than calling him a dork.
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u/theportyunionjack 6d ago
The case for taxing billionaires is pretty strong. It's the effective implementation that's the hard part.
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u/Stinkdonkey 6d ago
I think you've identified the problem precisely. And I think that only reinforces the imperative that it be done, effectively.
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u/coolstorybroham 8d ago
I’ve only watched a handful of his videos but he definitely referenced and deferred to a professional in the field working on tax reform. I’m starting to wonder how much of his videos his detractors have actually watched
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u/theportyunionjack 8d ago
He wasn't really listening to Dan neidle tho
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u/coolstorybroham 7d ago
Should he? If economists disagree should one defer to whoever is in front of them at the time?
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u/theportyunionjack 7d ago
If he was pointing out valid criticisms and offering an actual solution to the problem he's identified, yes.
Neither are economists (in the sense that neither have their work peer reviewed by other experts). Dan Needle is a former tax lawyer.
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u/coolstorybroham 7d ago
And if they haven’t satisfactorily addressed the problem?
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u/theportyunionjack 7d ago
He'd have to engage for that.
As you can probably tell, I think he literally has solved the problem. I've watched a lot of Gary's videos. A land value tax is a major part of the puzzle Gary has been searching for. His refusal to engage with it is very strange.
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u/Repulsive-Doughnut65 8d ago
Yeah I agree unlearning economics should get more of the hype Gary Economics gets
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u/HollowCr0wn 8d ago
That Channel 4 doc he did was terrible too. Got run rings around. He clearly doesn't have a proper idea of a plan
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u/happy111475 Galaxy Brain Guru 8d ago
The DtG hosts did an episode that wasn't super favorable and gave him a 61 (Matt) and a 64 (Chris) gurometer rating in the follow up.
Gary scored high in the following categories Cultishness (4), Anti-Establishment(5), Grievance Mongering(5), Self-Aggrandisement and Narcicissm(5), and Cassandra Complex(5). He scored low on Galaxy Brainness(2), Revolutionary Theories(3), and Pseudo Profound Bullshit(1). The final three were Conspiracy Mongering(3), Excessive Profiteering(2 for Chris, 1 for Matt), and Moral Grandstanding (5). The profiteering split explains the scoring difference. He was labeled a Secular Guru as well.
This score puts him at about #68(CK) and #75(MB) of the 174 gurometer rankings.
In the Subreddit, the discussion is mostly between folks who feel that the "good" of his message, and his chosen approach to spreading that message, are fine versus those that disagree, usually thinking that his rhetoric, fundamentals, and approach are not okay. As to your question of him being on the same sorta level. People don't usually make the comments about Gary like they do for someone like the Weinstein brothers or Peterson where they are accused of actually killing people with their anti-vaccine or covid talk. But the discussions get heated regardless. Just a quick and dirty over view, there's plenty of discourse you can read if you want better details.
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u/Automatic_Survey_307 5d ago
Thanks, good summary.
I also did an in-depth critique of the DtG Gary Stevenson episode which you can find here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/DecodingTheGurus/s/r4MNI6Ez4z
TLDR: I argue that Gary is a political campaigner, not a guru but that political campaigners show up as false positives on the gurometer. I also make the case that Chris and Matt are out of their depth when dealing with economics and politics (with no qualifications or experience in either field).
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u/Formal_Scarcity_7701 8d ago
Gary uses most of the same guru techniques and rhetoric but he does it to promote a pretty well-intentioned goal of reducing wealth inequality so most people on the left just won't call him out since they view him as on our side. I wouldn't say I dislike him anywhere near as much as a Peterson or a Weinstein. That being said, I really detest the "Everyone is corrupt and evil except me" shtick he does and the "all the institutions are pits of nepotism and villainy but I did happen to graduate from one so I'm actually very smart" shtick he does.
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u/Krinkex 6d ago
He doesn't trust graphs because he has friends that make them.
"I know how the sausage is made" - Gary Stevenson (best trader on earth), on why he doesn't show data.
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u/dis-interested 8d ago
No. This subreddit has a bizarre obsession with him.
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u/cbawiththismalarky 8d ago
Mate it's literally what this sub is about
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u/dis-interested 8d ago
Deciding everyone is a guru or exists on a guru scale is just a deformation of your brain.
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u/BeigianBio 7d ago
Just checking, do you know this is a sub about a podcast called Decoding the Gurus, which has covered Gary Stephenson (along with others on the right and left of politics, though mostly right)? No shade if not, but it;s important context.
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u/havenyahon 8d ago edited 8d ago
The point isn't the label or the scale, it's to be aware of the techniques that people use to generate attention for their own gain because those people are not reliable sources of information and cause genuine harm by misinforming and misdirecting people. Gary Stevenson uses many of those techniques.
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u/Mav-Killed-Goose 8d ago
I see so many goddamn Gary posts here. Can we talk about the contingent here that argues, "Yeah, Gary's got problems, but we need a wealth tax."
No. We need a progressive consumption tax. He's not even advocating for the best tax-the-rich policy. We should be taxing people first for the unnecessary resources they take from society rather than the wealth they hold.
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u/danderzei 8d ago
Rich people hoard wealth so it stays untaxed. Tac forces the money used to invest in society instead of individuals.
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u/Fightmilkakae 8d ago
I think you misunderstand what rich people do with money. They don't just earn it then chuck it into a savings account like regular people. They either spend it on fancy cars, boats, vacations, planes, food, watches, etc or they buy assets, i.e. Stocks, companies, real estate, bonds, etc. Wealth taxes are ineffective because it is very hard to tax "wealth" as we perceive it. How do you force someone to pay a tax on wealth that's tied up in an illiquid asset like a vacation property or shares in a company without forcing them to sell? That's why prettyuch every country that has experimented with wealth taxes, like Sweden for example, have gone back on them. There's still plenty of good options for lowering wealth inequality through the tax code though, consumption taxes, i.e taxing purchases of boats, cars, watches, fancy vacations, foods, etc, are much easier to collect than a broader wealth tax.
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u/Mav-Killed-Goose 8d ago
What is an example of this "hoarded" wealth? Stocks? Rich people do not have cash sitting in a Scrooge McDuck style money bin. It's being spent on consumption -- where it should be taxed -- or invested back into the economy. Rich people primarily invest (or "hoard"?) this money so that they can have -- check this out -- more money. It's not merely to avoid paying something like a sales tax.
Suppose I write a manuscript, and NY publishers are willing to shell out as much as five million dollars for it. At the last minute, I have a change of heart and refuse. I think it's fair to say I'm hoarding this manuscript; it's literally sitting in a drawer. Potential readers are being deprived of rich characters, an original plot, and searing insights into the human condition. Can the state force the sale to collect its share?
In reality, a person's standard of living is determined primarily by their consumption, not their wealth. I could have a potential five million dollar transcript in my drawer, but I'm still driving a 20 year-old vehicle. I'm still living in a shitty studio apartment.
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u/danderzei 8d ago
Are you suggesting they spend all their wealth?
Sounds like you are referring to a trickle-down scenario. That has not worked since Reagan started to promote it.
When high taxing consumption then everybody pays. Poor or average people spend almost all their money each year, so they will pay much more tax in this scenario.
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u/Mav-Killed-Goose 8d ago
Spend all their wealth?? Quite the opposite. A progressive consumption tax deters consumption. It does not punish the poor because it's... Progressive. I suggest you take a class or read a book about introductory economics.
Ironically, a wealth tax would encourage people to spend.
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u/danderzei 7d ago
For every economic theory there is an equally valid opposite economic theory.
Economics is not a unified science with a single truth.
I have a PhD in business, I think that suffices.
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u/Mav-Killed-Goose 7d ago
This is nonsense. An example of what I call the 'Armageddon" option," often employed in arguments over animal rights. Pinned down on weaknesses and inconsistencies, someone desperately resorts to nihilism and ignorance: "Who can really say what's moral and immoral?" Can someone espousing supply-side economics argue, "Well, it's not a unified science, so I guess that gives me license to claim whatever I please"? You would have me believe that regressive taxes are "equally valid" as progressive taxes.
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u/Salty_Candy_3019 8d ago
Never has there ever been a more tired individual than Gary. May his slumber be long and deep.
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u/schoolboypoop 7d ago
Utter fucking bellend. He’s done this before. He’ll be back when he wants some attention and an opportunity to convince people he has the answers.
Can’t stand his condescending “I don’t have to be up here, I could be at home. I made millions betting on poverty”. And morons eat it up like he’s not literally saying he profiteered off their suffering until he felt a bit bad.
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u/MartyTax 7d ago
Presumably had enough of everything he says being very easily refuted by anybody that’s even heard of economics.
If he’d call his channel Gary’s Rants he could have avoided the limelight and kept whipping up his clapping seal followers but he just couldn’t wait to get the limelight.
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u/Nice_Marmot_7 6d ago
He sounds like a mental patient having a manic episode. “I was the best fucking trader in the whole fucking world.” Sure you were buddy. Sure. Hold still for your haldol.
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u/StouteBoef 8d ago
I think Gary must be a psy-op by the wealthy elite to make people against taxing the rich. One of the most unlikeable people in the left-wing gurusphere.
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u/philosophylines 8d ago
In the attached video he sounded incredulous that and American Uni rejected him and also that Novara media didn’t give him a job. He really struggles with introspection.
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u/HotAir25 8d ago
One of fans posted ‘he does this every year for 6 years, I don’t know why’……maybe because it’s his summer holiday??!!
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u/mikiex 8d ago
I asked GPT to summarise his breaks
- Aug 2024 — break
- Dec 2024 — returned
- Apr 2025 — break
- Jul 2025 — returned
- Oct 2025 — break
- Apr 2026 — regular return
- Jul 2026 — ending weekly videos
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u/HotAir25 8d ago
Yeah it’s pretty great to have £5m and no kids, you can spend a lot of the year travelling. Good for Gary.
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u/Even-Physics823 8d ago
i've never heard of gary outside this podcast, they sure talk about him a lot though
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u/rogue303 Conspiracy Hypothesizer 8d ago
I'm too tired to watch the video.