Jeff Ubben Leaves ValueAct: First Mover in 'Cleaning Asset Management' or a Legacy Planning Maneuver?

Jeff Ubben, one of the very few successful, large-scale, old-school value investors left his hedge fund ValueAct. In his yet-to-be-published FT interview, he said:
1. Companies have used cheap debt to acquire each other.
2. Buybacks have corrupted the system (paraphrase to - they have bought all their shares back).
3. There are three players in every industry.
4. There's nothing there.

(References: Search for " Jeff Ubben leaves ValueAct for social investing venture, calls finance 'done' " on YouTube.)

Here are the questions I have:
1. Does this look like the beginning of a long-due systemic change in capitalism or is it just legacy planning for him?

His move is bold, and so are his statements. But this comes after twenty years of having rocked in the system he's blaming. Sure, people change, but the timing invites skepticism. He's 58, maybe he wants to change things in the next 30 years and leave a Gates-like story behind.

  1. Is it really the time to discard ESG and bring in a more objective and situation-adaptive framework for socially conscious investing?
    I agree with the central thesis in ESG - invest in companies that do good things, and you will make money. But the way ESG is practiced in most spaces - it really doesn't sound like much. If it was really that functional, every fund would have pounced on it. ESG is more like an IR tool than an investment framework. Do you expect this guy to come up with some way to actually bring institutional investors some considerable alpha while backing the companies that bring net-positive to maximum people?

  2. Do you think you can run a profitable fund while having a tangible and clearly spelled out thesis for the greater good that is more than a marketing gimmick?
    It makes logical sense. You run a company that makes 'lives better' and make profits. But, time and again, the companies that killed it were also the ones that killed the 'do-gooder spirit'. Facebook for phone addictions, Coke for sugary drinks, McDonald's for unhealthy food, pharma guys in the opioid crisis, Nike for child-labor abuse, O&G companies for - you know what.

To answer my question - I really don't think so. I am making a transition to Renewable Energy because I think as the cost of producing it goes down in countries like India where power demand is strongly growing, there will be a lot to be made in the industry. But beyond that, unless I knew exactly where was the opportunity to do good profitably, I am not sure whether I can systematically run a fund that serves do-good needs and investor profits.

As always - sorry for the length, open to get corrected.

 

Atque blanditiis architecto accusantium nam accusantium sapiente. Quaerat velit accusantium in non reprehenderit modi. Consectetur quis officiis debitis magni facilis. Est aliquam minus corporis.

Odio non esse nemo perferendis libero. Nulla quo sed sit eveniet officiis sint inventore corporis. Quis minima ut laborum. Eveniet quam dolorem nesciunt repellat saepe officiis aut.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
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...”