Alok Sama - The Money Trap
A Book with Legs
Smead Capital Management
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 1 September 2025
⏱️ 81 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, Cole Smead sits down with author and former President and CFO of SoftBank Group International, Alok Sama, to discuss his book, “The Money Trap: Lost Illusions Inside the Tech Bubble.” Sama discusses his personal background and investing roots. He also details his experiences alongside SoftBank’s revolutionary founder, Masayoshi Son, and the “dark side” of the industry, discussing topics such as corporate espionage.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to A Book with Legs, a podcast presented by Smead Capital Management. |
| 0:07.9 | At Smead Capital Management, we advise investors who play the long game. |
| 0:12.3 | You can learn more at Smeadcap.com or by calling your financial advisor. |
| 0:41.5 | Welcome to a book with legs podcast. I'm Cole Smead, CEO and portfolio manager here at Smead Capital Management. At our firm, we are readers and we believe in the power of books to help shape informed investors. In this podcast, we speak to great authors about their writings. The late great Charlie Munger prescribed using multiple mental models and analysis. We analyze their work through the lens of business, markets, and people. |
| 0:46.2 | In this episode, we will discuss one of the truly most well-known tech investors and deal-makers |
| 0:50.9 | in the history of venture funding in public companies. |
| 0:53.8 | Alok Sama is joining us to discuss his book, The Money Trap, Grand Fortunes and Lost Illusions |
| 0:59.1 | Inside the Tech Bubble. |
| 1:01.1 | To give our listeners a little background on our guest, he is a senior advisor at Warburg |
| 1:06.9 | Pinkus. |
| 1:07.5 | He was formerly president and CFO of SoftBank Group and Chief Strategy |
| 1:12.1 | Officer for SoftBank Group. Mr. Sama was a board member at Arm Holdings Fortress Investment Group, |
| 1:17.8 | SoFi, Bright Star, and Air Trail Africa. He was also a senior managing director at Morgan |
| 1:23.9 | Stanley, where he was involved in the communications practice in Europe and the TMT |
| 1:27.7 | practice in Asia Pacific. |
| 1:29.7 | More interestingly, outside of finance, he holds a Master of Fine Arts and Creative Writing |
| 1:34.9 | from NYU, which is why I think you'll enjoy this book if you read it. |
| 1:38.7 | And an MBA in finance from the Wharton School, he also has a BA in mathematics from St. |
| 1:43.3 | Stevens College. |
| 1:44.9 | Alope, thank you for joining me today. Thank you, Cole. Pleasure to be here. And I'm so glad to hear |
| 1:50.2 | that you guys, when you approach investing, think about reading. And hopefully, it's not just |
| 1:55.3 | business books, because I think there's just so much you can learn from the world of fiction, |
... |
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