The Synopsis
Drew Cohen
In this podcast we share our insights from hundreds of hours of investment research and various topics Drew Cohen has covered on his YouTube Channel and Five Minute Money Newsletter. Most business podcasts are superficial and assume their listeners are unsophisticated. In contrast, The Synopsis trusts listeners are interested in learning about complex, business-specific issues, and want to know the deep details. We approach investing from the perspective of business owners, instead of Wall Street Commentators.
Drew Cohen is an investment manager, registered investment advisor, and founder of Speedwell Research, which produces in-depth research reports for hedge funds and asset managers. Speedwell Research spends hundreds of hours researching public businesses and I share my insights in various episodes. Start listening today to become a better analyst, investor and business-person.
Drew Cohen is an investment manager, registered investment advisor, and founder of Speedwell Research, which produces in-depth research reports for hedge funds and asset managers. Speedwell Research spends hundreds of hours researching public businesses and I share my insights in various episodes. Start listening today to become a better analyst, investor and business-person.
Episodes
Mentioned books
19 snips
May 7, 2026 • 1h 36min
Interview. Highest Conviction Investments and Investing Lessons with Rose Celine
Rose Celine, a pseudonymous investor known for bold, high-conviction stock calls on Twitter/X. He discusses punch-card concentrated investing, long-term wins like Mercado Libre and DLocal, temperament and the danger of selling too soon, and how management, margins, and competitive moats shape his biggest ideas.
14 snips
May 1, 2026 • 60min
Interview. Former Coupang VP on Ecommerce Landscape, 1P vs 3p, and Expansion Plans
Gunjan Bhartia, former Coupang VP who led finance and strategy during rapid scaling. He discusses Korea's e-commerce rivalry, why 1P vs 3P selection matters, Coupang's Taiwan play and international expansion logic. He covers Coupang Eats, Pay, advertising potential, and the main risks to the business.
12 snips
Apr 23, 2026 • 1h 14min
Interview. Hedge Fund Manager's Top Investments with Hayden Capital's Fred Liu
Fred Liu, founder of Hayden Capital and concentrated investor in emerging tech and consumer internet firms. He discusses focusing on a few high-conviction, long-term compounders. Conversations cover why he prefers owner-operators, the Sea Limited and Shopee thesis, the rise and exit from Pinduoduo, and AppLovin’s adtech evolution and risks.
14 snips
Apr 20, 2026 • 52min
Dialogue. Private Credit Unraveling, Taxes & Investing, Key Insights from Investor Interviews
A lively discussion of private credit growth, liquidity mismatches, and underwriting risks. Perspectives on valuation-driven sell discipline and when trimming positions makes sense. Tax effects on selling decisions and the math behind deferring gains are explored. Takeaways from investor interviews on company moats, capital deployment, and sector-specific risks.
87 snips
Apr 8, 2026 • 1h 26min
Interview. Chris Mayer on Finding Quality Compounding Stocks
Chris Mayer, fund manager and author of '100 Baggers', describes investing in high-quality compounders with concentrated portfolios. He covers concentration vs diversification, why durable business quality provides margin of safety, risks of paying premium multiples over long horizons, AI’s uneven impact, and deep research methods for building conviction in buy/sell decisions.
82 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 1h 21min
Interview. Bill Nygren on 25 Years of Beating the Market
Bill Nygren, CIO of U.S. Equities at Harris Associates and Oakmark portfolio manager, is a longtime value investor with decades of outperformance. He discusses Oakmark's seven-year valuation horizon and private-equity lens. He explains discount-rate choices, valuing cyclicals and SaaS deferred revenue, the role of management, and case studies like Netflix, Meta, Salesforce and Airbnb.
16 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 1h 6min
Interview. Shift4 CEO Taylor Lauber and CFO Christopher Cruz on Capital Allocation, Competition, and Global Blue Strategy.
Taylor Lauber, CEO of Shift4, leads product, go-to-market, and the Global Blue acquisition. Christopher Cruz, CFO, runs capital allocation and ROIC strategy. They discuss how Shift4 fits the payments value chain, durable competitive moats from integrated hardware-software-payments, capital allocation and gross profit payback metrics, and the strategic rationale and cross-sell mechanics behind the Global Blue deal.
20 snips
Mar 12, 2026 • 44min
Interview. Billionaire Square (Block) Cofounder Jim McKelvey on Competing Against Amazon
Jim McKelvey, cofounder of Square (Block) and author of The Innovation Stack, shares his short take on how some companies build hard-to-copy advantages. He recounts why Square outlasted Amazon, how linked problem-solution stacks form, and why copying often fails. He also contrasts invention versus imitation and explains design tradeoffs that seed viral growth.
24 snips
Mar 5, 2026 • 57min
Dialogue. Netflix Walks, Underlying Duolingo Growth Issues, and Bad Decisions at Paypal
Conversation covers Netflix stepping back from a major studio deal and what that means for content costs and consolidation. They dig into Duolingo's selloff, highlighting engagement and growth challenges rather than AI threats. A deep look at PayPal debates its business mix, past strategic missteps, and whether returning cash or chasing growth makes sense.
Feb 23, 2026 • 56min
Dialogue. ServiceNow and an AI SaaS Risk Breakdown
A crisp dive into ServiceNow’s AI control tower vision and whether agents could replace ticketing and workflows. A valuation snapshot examines EV/sales and mature-margin framing amid AI uncertainty. Debates cover AI commoditization, competitive threats from in-house teams, and which enterprise software is easier to disrupt. Final thoughts explore how orchestration and auditing could capture future value.
