[ckemere]

Perhaps a huge tell about national strategy is the fact that the owner has $10s of millions to loan to the company? US economic structure in post WWII era has increasingly focused on return on capital (and value extraction). How can that compete in long term with an economy which prioritizes reinvestment *in industry*?

[tyre]

One would presume that the founder is investing their money into something, probably equities, that is an investment in industry. They could be either selling those equities for a loan here or taking a loan against those equities to loan to GoPro (if the cost of capital is lower for them than GoPro, which seems plausible.)

I generally agree with your point about value extraction vs. re-investment.

[inigyou]

Equities aren't investment in industry except when there's an IPO or SPO. The rest of the time, it's zero-sum.

[t0mpr1c3]

What you just said makes no sense. How can equities come into existence except via an IPO or similar mechanism?

Equities are literally investments in business. Equity is a line in the balance sheet for every corporation.

[inigyou]

Exactly. How can they come into existence except via an IPO or similar mechanism? At that moment, investment happens. The rest of the time, it does not. The stock market rising does not increase investment in industry. When you buy stocks at a stock exchange, you aren't investing in industry

[t0mpr1c3]

You are saying that "investment" only happens when you provide capital to a corporation.

Presumably, under this definition, when you sell stock that is not "disinvestment".

Unless you are selling it back to the company itself. Then it is "disinvestment", because the total amount of capital provided to the corporation has gone down.

That is not what people mean by the term "investment". You need to find a different word, because "investment" has a more general meaning than the concept you are talking about.