Ryan Cohen Explained

Ryan Cohen
Birth Place:Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Signature:Ryan Cohen Signature.jpg
Known For:Founder and CEO of Chewy (2011–2018)
Executive Chairman of GameStop (2021–present)

Ryan Cohen (born 1986)[1] is a Canadian entrepreneur and activist investor.[2] [3] He founded e-commerce company Chewy in 2011, and was the company's chief executive officer (CEO) until 2018. Cohen is the chairman and CEO of GameStop.[4] [5]

Early life

Cohen was born to a Jewish family in Montreal.[6] [7] He never attended college, citing his father, who ran a glassware company, as his primary inspiration in pursuing an entrepreneurial route.[8] His father died in December 2019.

Career

At the age of 15, Cohen started his first business collecting fees off referrals to various e-commerce sites. In 2011, at the age of 25, Cohen founded Chewy under its original name of MrChewy.[9] Cohen says his inspiration for picking the pet category came from his experience shopping for his poodle Tylee.[10] He cites his father Ted, who ran a glassware importing business, as a mentor.[11] [12] To grow Chewy, Cohen used Amazon’s guidelines for supply chain, logistics and the convenience of shopping online but added a focus on customer service, including hand-written holiday cards, pet portraits, and flowers for deceased pets.[11] In need of capital, Cohen says he originally approached over 100 venture capital firms and was rejected by all of them.[13] [14] In 2013, Cohen secured the company's first outside investment from Volition Capital for $15 million.[15] By 2016, he had raised capital from investors including BlackRock and T. Rowe Price New Horizons Fund.[16] That year the company had $900 million in sales and had become the number 1 online pet retailer.[17] By 2017, he raised $350 million and was preparing for an IPO.[18]

In April 2017, PetSmart purchased Chewy for $3.35 billion in the largest e-commerce acquisition of all time.[18] Chewy’s value was credited in part to the company’s relationship with its customers, from handwritten thank you and holiday cards to committing nearly one sixth of its employees to 24-hour customer service.[9] [19] That year Fortune named Cohen one of its "40 under 40"[20] and Vox named him to its Recode 100 list.[21] Cohen remained CEO following the acquisition and operated the business largely as an independent unit of PetSmart.[17] He grew the business to 3.5 billion in revenue in 2018, including 66% of sales coming from customers signed up for automatic recurring shipments,[18] prior to stepping down as CEO to pursue personal goals and spend time with his family.[22] In June 2019, Chewy went public at a valuation of $8.7 billion.[23]

In January 2021, Cohen joined the GameStop board along with two Chewy executives.[24] Cohen was also appointed chairman to lead a new committee in charge of a company-wide transformation.[25] Cohen's appointment triggered a stock rally; within two weeks the stock had increased by 1,500% resulting from a short squeeze.[26] Since then, Cohen has been instrumental in a number of changes at GameStop,[27] including the departure of multiple executives and ten members of the board of directors,[25] and the hiring of multiple Amazon and Chewy executives in leadership positions.[28] He became chairman following the annual shareholder meeting.[29]

On September 28, 2023, Cohen took over as Chief Executive Officer of GameStop. He is receiving no salary for his roles as CEO and chairman.[30] [31]

Investments

Following the sale of Chewy, Cohen made a significant investment in Apple, making him the largest individual shareholder of the tech company with 1.55 million shares (6.2 million split-adjusted shares as of August 31, 2020).[2] [32]

In September 2020, Cohen disclosed a near 10% stake in GameStop,[33] making him the company's biggest individual investor. This was later increased to 12.9% on December 17, 2020, through an amended 13D filing with SEC.[34] According to these filings, Cohen's firm, RC Ventures, has expressed willingness to get more involved with the company in order “to produce the best results for all shareholders."[35]

In March 2022, it was disclosed that Cohen had a near 10% stake in Bed Bath & Beyond, through his investment company RC Ventures LLC.[36] Between August 15 and 18, his firm sold all of the stock, totaling 9.45 million shares.[37] The profit was estimated at $68 million.[38]

Continuing his investments in GameStop, Cohen acquired 100,000 more shares on March 22, 2022. Adjusted for the stock split, this acquisition represented 400,000 shares.[39] On June 9, 2023, Cohen bolstered his stake in the company with a purchase of 443,842 shares, equivalent to a $10 million investment.[40]

Books

In 2022, Cohen published a series of children's books titled Teddy based on lessons he learned from his father.[41] He wrote "My father, Ted Cohen, and his lessons have guided me throughout my life. He showed me an exceptional work ethic and an unwavering commitment to delayed gratification. Even though he is no longer with us, his legacy will live on forever. By writing these books, I am sharing his values and passing his wisdom on to my children."[42]

Legal

Cohen was named in a federal lawsuit on August 24, 2022 for an alleged fraudulent scheme to artificially inflate the price of Bed Bath & Beyond's publicly traded stock in a pump and dump. The case was dismissed on June 11, 2024.[43] [44] [45]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nille . Jennifer . January 25, 2024 . Le bilan mitigé de Ryan Cohen, le Warren Buffett des "meme stocks" . The mixed record of Ryan Cohen, the Warren Buffett of "meme stocks" . . https://archive.today/20240730055523/https://www.lecho.be/dossier/portraits/le-bilan-mitige-de-ryan-cohen-le-warren-buffett-des-meme-stocks/10520064.html . July 30, 2024 . live . fr.
  2. Web site: Matthews . Chris . March 23, 2020 . How the coronavirus stock-market rout dealt Chewy's founder a $150 million blow to his Apple holdings, for now . MarketWatch.
  3. Web site: Trentmann . Nina . Maurer . Mark . February 24, 2021 . GameStop CFO Was Forced Out as Activist Investor Pushes New Strategy . March 19, 2021 . The Wall Street Journal.
  4. News: September 28, 2023 . Billionaire Ryan Cohen takes over as CEO at GameStop, adding to chairman role . AP News.
  5. Web site: September 30, 2023. Biography - Ryan Cohen, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman . GameStop Investor Relations.
  6. Web site: Friedman . Gabe . January 29, 2021 . The Jewish angles to the GameStop stock saga, explained . .
  7. News: Kharif . Olga . Melin . Anders . April 26, 2021 . Ryan Cohen Maps Out GameStop Turnaround Plan . . 2022-03-23.
  8. Web site: Friedman . Zack . Chewy Founder Ryan Cohen, Who Sold His Company For $3 Billion, Shares His Best Advice . 2022-03-23 . . en.
  9. Web site: Lima. Debora. March 3, 2017. Chewy goes toe-to-toe with mainstay brands. The Business Journals. American City Business Journals.
  10. News: Verdon. Joan. June 14, 2019. Don't Bet Against Pets: Retail Lessons From The Chewy IPO. Forbes. July 10, 2019.
  11. Web site: Verdon. Joan. January 26, 2020. Ryan Cohen Started A Company That Took On Amazon, And Sold It For $3 Billion. Now He's Thinking About What's Next. Forbes.
  12. Web site: Cohen. Ryan. May 4, 2020. The Secret Weapon Behind Chewy Founder Ryan Cohen's Success. Entrepreneur.
  13. Web site: Adams. Susan. January 10, 2017. The Man Who Found Gold In Dog Food. Forbes.
  14. Web site: Dahlberg. Nancy. March 26, 2018. What it's like to grow and sell a multibillion-dollar company, at age 32. Miami Herald.
  15. Web site: Cohen. Ryan. January–February 2020. The Founder of Chewy.com on Finding the Financing to Achieve Scale. Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Publishing.
  16. Web site: Zaleski. Olivia. November 22, 2016. Your Dog Deserves an Oil Portrait With Her Gluten-Free Kibble. subscription. Bloomberg L.P..
  17. Web site: Armental. Maria. April 18, 2017. PetSmart's Latest Bite at E-Commerce: Chewy.com. subscription. The Wall Street Journal.
  18. Web site: Gottfried. Miriam. October 1, 2019. How PetSmart Swallowed Chewy—and Proved the Doubters Wrong. subscription. The Wall Street Journal.
  19. Web site: A low-flying pet supplies company just sold to PetSmart in the biggest e-commerce sale ever . Loizos . Connie . April 18, 2017 . TechCrunch . . October 12, 2023 .
  20. Web site: 2017. 40 Under 40. July 23, 2019. Fortune.
  21. Web site: Del Rey. Jason. December 6, 2017. Ryan Cohen kept Chewy under the radar until it sold for more than $3 billion. July 23, 2019. Vox.
  22. Web site: Dahlberg . Nancy . March 15, 2018 . Co-founder Ryan Cohen stepping down as CEO of Chewy, a homegrown success story . Miami Herald.
  23. News: Gonzalez. Guadalupe. June 14, 2019. Chewy's Co-Founder and Former CEO Explains How the Startup Went From Zero to a $8.7 Billion Public Company. Inc.. July 10, 2019.
  24. Web site: Sebastian. Dave. April 8, 2021. GameStop to Name Chewy Co-Founder as Chairman. subscription. The Wall Street Journal.
  25. Web site: Gilbert. Ben. March 25, 2021. Wall Street darling Ryan Cohen is clearing house at GameStop, bringing in e-commerce experts to transform it into the Amazon of gaming. Business Insider.
  26. Web site: Li. Yun. January 27, 2021. GameStop mania explained: How the Reddit retail trading crowd ran over Wall Street pros. CNBC.
  27. News: Herbst-Bayliss. Svea. March 23, 2021. From pet food to video games: inside Ryan Cohen's GameStop obsession. Reuters. July 2, 2021. 2293-6343.
  28. Web site: March 30, 2021. GameStop shakeup rolls on, hires Amazon executive as chief growth officer. Reuters.
  29. Web site: Thomas. Lauren. April 8, 2021. GameStop says it will name Ryan Cohen chairman. December 11, 2021. CNBC.
  30. Web site: Fonrouge . Gabrielle . Calia. Mike. 2023-09-28 . GameStop names Ryan Cohen as CEO effective immediately, won't receive salary . 2023-09-28 . CNBC . en.
  31. Web site: GameStop names billionaire Ryan Cohen as CEO in turnaround push . Soni . Aditya . September 28, 2023 . Reuters . . October 12, 2023 .
  32. Web site: Pendleton. Devon. June 5, 2020. A Tech Founder Cashed Out and Bet It All on Apple and Wells Fargo. subscription. Bloomberg L.P..
  33. Web site: Kharif. Olga. September 21, 2020. GameStop Rises on Investor's Plan to Make It an Amazon Rival. subscription. October 13, 2020. Bloomberg L.P..
  34. Web site: December 17, 2020. INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN STATEMENTS FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 13d-1(a) AND AMENDMENTS THERETO FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 13d-2(a). December 30, 2020. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  35. Web site: September 21, 2020. INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN STATEMENTS FILED PURSUANT TO 13d-1(a) AND AMENDMENTS THERETO FILED PURSUANT TO 13d-2(a). October 13, 2020. GameStop.
  36. Web site: GameStop's Cohen takes stake in Bed Bath & Beyond, pushes for changes. Reuters. March 7, 2022. March 7, 2022.
  37. Web site: Rexaline . Shanthi . Ryan Cohen Said To Be Under SEC Scanner Over His 'Sketchy' Bed Bath & Beyond Trades - Chewy (NYSE:CHWY), Bed Bath & Beyond (OTC:BBBYQ), GameStop (NYSE:GME) . 2023-09-09 . Benzinga . English.
  38. Web site: Ryan Cohen pockets $68 million profit on Bed Bath & Beyond trade . Anders . Melin . 2022-08-19 . Fortune . en.
  39. Web site: 2022-03-22 . Ryan Cohen Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is, Buys 100,000 Shares of GameStop, GameStop Due Diligence • GMEdd.com . 2024-02-10 . GameStop Due Diligence • GMEdd.com . en-US.
  40. Web site: Baccardax . Martin . 2023-06-13 . Ryan Cohen Boosts Stake In GameStop With $10 Million Share Purchase . 2024-02-10 . TheStreet . en-us.
  41. Web site: Gottfried . Miriam . McCabe . Caitlin . 2022-11-19 . GameStop’s Ryan Cohen Wants to Be More Than a Meme-Stock King . WSJ.com . en.
  42. Web site: Tribute . 2024-02-10 . Teddy . en.
  43. Web site: Stempel . Jonathan . Billionaire investor Ryan Cohen beats Bed Bath & Beyond shareholder lawsuit . Reuters.
  44. Web site: Bed Bath & Beyond CFO accused of "pump and dump" scheme before falling to his death from NYC skyscraper . . Steve . Mollman . September 4, 2022 . September 5, 2022.
  45. Web site: Case# 1:22-cv-02541 . The United States District Court for the District of Columbia . August 24, 2022 . September 5, 2022.

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