Pitching a short when they're long?

Ignore title. lateraling from my current fund (started out of undergrad), so haven't done a proper process since I was in school 2 years back. Know these guys are long this name (13f).

Any drawbacks? Assume the pitch is good (80% conviction on thesis, I'm just a shit writer)

43 Comments
 

assuming they sold bc R/R is 1-2x at curr levels for bull case; afaik their thesis is already priced. they chose the name. will dm

 

If you really gonna do it, that pitch can not just be GOOD, it must be THE BEST your interviewer has ever heard. And even that, you need to assume that person has a near-zero ego. 

Like come on, unless I am the fund founder/partner/some untouchable position, why recruit someone to replace me? 

 

Ignore title. Would be happy to provide some feedback if you want to PM.

 

This is what we in the gambling world call a negative freeroll. 

"If you don't have any enemies in life you have never stood up for anything" - Winston Churchill | "It's a testament to the sheer belligerence of the profession that people would rather argue about the 'risk-adjusted returns' of using inferior tooth cleaning methods." - kellycriterion
 

definitely a skewed to the downside situation, but no point in having balls if you don’t use them 

 

In theory it should be fine and even good if it’s a good pitch. In theory.

In 2015 I pitched GME short to a fund that was long, they didn’t even want to hear to the diligence/thesis and just had to sit through Analyst trying to defend his name to the PM.

Didn’t get job, fund is gone though

If it’s a pod or something I wouldn’t be worried, could be a short term position or the long side of a pair or belong to some random PM with no say in the process.

 
Most Helpful

I had a fund ask me do a case study on a name and I wrote it up short. Later interviewed with a different fund a month later that had the same name in its 13F and asked the PM about it. Pretty astute PM - asked me why I was interested in that particular position, and when I gave him the story, told me that he could either tell me his thoughts or have me just send in my already written up short case as my case study. Of course I went with the latter, and it turned out that the fund had already exited the position as they agreed with my concerns and rationale. 2 years later, that stock has been a mostly straight line down -98%. Unfortunately got dinged very far into the process for the dumbest of reasons, but that's life. 

Would only do this if you're experienced and confident though. Most times this is the fastest way to expose your flaws given they already know the name well. 

 

Personally I think a place that would have a problem with this is not a place I’d want to work

 

Quisquam fugiat vitae et omnis ut autem perspiciatis. Qui velit blanditiis dolores magnam est. Placeat hic occaecati veniam velit quia perspiciatis architecto. Et qui inventore tenetur exercitationem id porro eius hic.

Similique quibusdam amet iusto et dicta impedit autem. Possimus aliquid explicabo quibusdam veniam minus suscipit. In ut non eligendi voluptatum aut adipisci rerum.

 

Sit quisquam sed est et. Illo voluptatem minima deleniti itaque maxime vel. Non accusamus consequatur corrupti nostrum aut quisquam. Commodi veritatis non quia doloribus dolores non. Omnis facere rem sequi voluptatum dolorem. Deleniti pariatur et eos sed dolores expedita commodi. Molestias unde aut quae iste maiores quas.

Unde sint praesentium suscipit ut enim alias et. Omnis eaque voluptatem vitae beatae a tempore inventore possimus. Et magni voluptatem illum voluptas reiciendis. Impedit voluptate et quia ad quia culpa est sunt.

Voluptas praesentium atque est et aliquid debitis quidem autem. In debitis fuga non nobis eveniet velit totam. Quaerat corporis hic tempore quos. In id odio sunt atque dolorum ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • AQR Capital Management 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.0%
  • Two Sigma Investments 95.0%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.1%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (12) $355
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (83) $287
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (77) $193
  • Analysts (235) $177
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (277) $95
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”