Preston Byrne on GameStop, Online Mobs and Marmots

The attorney joins Ben Schiller to consider the continuing fallout from the WallStreetBets controversy.

February 7, 2021

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Preston Byrne is a partner in Anderson Kill's Technology, Media and Distributed Systems Group, and a CoinDesk columnist.

He joins CoinDesk Features Editor Ben Schiller to discuss his recent op-ed about GameStop, Robinhood and the rise of online mobs.

Schiller spoke to Byrne about:

The rise of online mobs from GameStop to Capitol Hill and how the internet is impacting real life in an increasingly tangible way
What policymakers can do to prevent mobs doing damage to decent companies
Why it’s likely the WallStreetBets Reddit contained some pump-and-dumpers
How the regulatory reaction to the WallStreetBets could impact cryptocurrencies
How the backlash from “elites” impacted by GameStop could harm free speech
Why Preston Byrne supports marmots (which are like squirrels or groundhogs)