back to article Overstock dot-gone: Surplus biz CEO now surplus to requirements, ejects after Russian spy fling, deep state rant

Ten days after releasing a corporate press release that raved about the deep state, men in black, and confirmed his love affair with a now-jailed Russian spy, the CEO of Overstock has quit – in similarly colorful fashion. If you thought that seeing the public company's share price plummet 38 per cent would sober up Patrick …

  1. JohnFen

    Never comfortable

    It's never comfortable seeing someone completely lose their mind in such a public way.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Never comfortable

      Umm, which person on which continent were you referring to? There's so many possibilities.

      1. JohnFen

        Re: Never comfortable

        Sad but true.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Never comfortable

        All of them (?)

    2. nematoad

      Re: Never comfortable

      Yes, it reminds me of David Icke who also seems to have blown a mental fuse.

  2. Claverhouse Silver badge
    Happy

    I Don't Think He Need Worry

    Though patriotic Americans are writing me in support...

    So long as ordinary AMERICANS are on his side --- the sort willing to write thoughtful comments in that fine countries' meeja, denouncing stuff --- he has THE PEEPLE on his side !

    1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

      Re: I Don't Think He Need Worry

      Jo Walton has something to say (well, sing) about that.

  3. Mark 85

    So he be joining McAfee in a secret mountain hideout?

    1. Fungus Bob

      Nope. Secret live volcano lair. With booth babes...

    2. keithpeter Silver badge
      Windows

      could probably get a good deal on some leather swivel chairs?

  4. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    "our keiretsu of blockchain firms"

    Hm hmm. Yeees, of coourse. Nurse ? Bring me 50mg of benzohydrophenylatrium, stat ! We just might be able to bring his conscience back to within the borders of the solar system.

    Maybe.

    1. joeW

      Re: "our keiretsu of blockchain firms"

      We're well past benzohydrophenylatrium here.

      Nurse, fetch the dried frog pills.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who shorted this stock?

    I wonder when we will find out if he did some massive shorts on this...

  6. BogBeast

    ....

    Theres nothing quite like batshit crazy is there...

  7. PCM2

    Drugs.

    I mean seriously. There's got to be drugs involved here.

    1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

      Re: Drugs.

      There's got to be drugs involved here

      Just Say Yes. Which, in my case involves saying yes to metformin, atorvastatin etc etc etc..

      (Long winded way of saying that the right drugs, used in the correct way, can be good for you)

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Alternatively...

    the hatchet job is continuing here, and elsewhere in the sekret dark state uberweb of fake news.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If he had just said "The World is going to Hell in a hand basket" and left it at that, most people would have believed him and replied "So, what else is new?".

  10. Tim Worstal

    Not wholly and exactly

    "And in case you're wondering a "keiretsu" – which Byrne refers to repeatedly in the press release is a Japanese term meaning a group of companies that informally work together. It is often, though not always, equivalent to what Western nations would called a "cartel.""

    More like a group of companies with shareholdings in each other and thus informally coordinated. They are often - usually - in wildly different industries, so it's not a cartel. Say, "Mistubishi Shipbuilding" and "Mitsubishi Cars" and "Mitsubishi Electronics " (I am only certain of the existence of one of those) as making up a Keiretsu. As opposed to a cartel, which would be more like "Mitsubishi Cars" and "Honda Cars" and "Nissan Cars" working together.

    1. stiine Silver badge

      Re: Not wholly and exactly

      i think the Korean word you're looking for is Chaebol, i.e. Hyundai. See this wikipedia link for the scope of their business:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai

      they make almost everything.

      1. Tim Worstal

        Re: Not wholly and exactly

        Yep, Chaebols are based on the Japanese example.

  11. BitCoward
    Facepalm

    You may want to edit this piece a bit

    He appears to be responsible for a large number of entirely redacted pages in the Mueller report. He approached the Feds, when first contacted, they ignored him, but when the Trump-Russia investigation was started, then they called him back in and asked him to maintain his relationship with now-convicted Russian agent, Butina.

    He also appears to have evidence of Don Jr holding meeting with Russians about election dirt at an NRA meeting that contradicts the Trumpster's sworn evidence to Congress.

    So not entirely a crackpot then.

    1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

      Re: You may want to edit this piece a bit

      He appears to be responsible for a large number of entirely redacted pages in the Mueller report

      So someone posting in a web forum under an alias would have us know that he (or she) suspects that Byrne is a contributing source for a portion, contents unknown, of a document which, while it contains much, is itself an admission that the most important questions it raises have not been definitively answered.

      Well, I'm convinced Byrne is onto something. Thanks!

    2. JohnFen

      Re: You may want to edit this piece a bit

      I think these claims require something resembling evidence.

  12. trevorde Silver badge

    John McAfee, is that you?

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    'And if the hors d’oeuvre that was served recently caused the market such indigestion, it is not going to be in shareholder interest for me to be around if and when any main course is served.""

    Wow. Indeed. Serving dishes causing severe food poisoning to your guests (I mean, vomiting and the same from the other side) is not gonna make them happy for sure, mate ! Breaking news, here !

    ""I wish all shareholders a smooth and level road," he signed off. You too, mate, you too."

    Yes, have some rest, Byrne, and stop consuming that substance.

  14. Bibbit
    WTF?

    He’ll be back...

    And there goes the next president of the United States of America.

  15. kurios

    I suppose the company might look at this as an opportunity to change its name from laughingstock.com back to overstock.com.

  16. ElReg!comments!Pierre
    Joke

    "The head of the world's most powerful country just cancelled an important diplomatic trip"

    I call bullshit. Xi Jinping would certainly not do such a thing. Or were you thinking about Putin? Doesn't sound like something he'd do either. Oh, Trump? So, that'd be "the head of one of the world's 20 most powerful countries, on some metrics", then.

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