Bridgewater Associates’ flagship money pool posted record gains, while D.E. Shaw & Co.’s strategies soared as much as 28% to rank among the biggest hedge fund winners of 2025 when tariff-fueled market uncertainty presented a fertile hunting ground for traders.
Bridgewater’s Pure Alpha II macro fund returned 34% last year, its best ever, while the All Weather strategy rose 20%, a person with knowledge of the matter said, asking not to be identified discussing private information. D.E. Shaw’s flagship multistrategy Composite hedge fund gained18.5% and Oculus made an estimated 28.2%.
Michel Massoud’s event-driven Melqart Opportunities Fund surged 45%, another person said. Millennium Management, the $83.5 billion multistrategy hedge fund firm, gained 10.5% last year. ExodusPoint, which has been building out its equities group to complement its fixed-income operations led by co-founder Michael Gelband, gained 18%, the most since its founding in 2017. The firm manages about $12 billion.
Citadel’s flagship hedge fund posted a 10.2% increase in 2025, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified citing private information. It was the first year that Millennium outperformed Citadel’s Wellington fund since 2020.
The initial estimates show hedge funds overall posted strong gains with industry returns on track to be the best in at least five years as surging US stocks, precious metals and volatility in bond and currency markets spurred by President Donald Trump’s trade wars helped.
Bridgewater, the 50-year-old firm, posted double-digit returns across strategies. The money manager has been in reboot mode since Nir Bar Dea became sole chief executive officer in 2023 and made sweeping personnel changes and cut assets in a bid to boost performance. Westport, Connecticut-based Bridgewater’s billionaire founder, Ray Dalio, has completely exited the firm, selling his remaining stake and stepping down from the board last year.
Bridgewater’s Pure Alpha II fund’s gains last year represent a rebound from annualized returns of less than 3% between 2012 and 2024, Bloomberg has previously reported. The firm’s AIA Labs fund that uses machine learning as the primary basis of its decision-making, has raised more than $5 billion and was up 11% last year, the person added.
In the world of quantitative investing, AQR Capital Management’s multistrategy offering returned 19.6% in 2025, according to a person familiar with the matter who declined to be identified as the information is private.
Here’s how other hedge funds fared last year based on initial estimates:
Hedge Fund
Strategy
2025 Return
Melqart Opportunities
Event-Driven
45.1%
Bridgewater Asia
Macro
37
Discovery
Macro
35.6
Bridgewater Pure Alpha II
Macro
34
Bridgewater China
Macro
34
DE Shaw Oculus
Multistrategy
28.2
Soroban Opportunities
Equity Long/Short
25
AQR Adaptive
Quant Equity Market Neutral
24.4
Anson Investments Master
Equity
21.2
Bridgewater All Weather
Risk Parity
20
AQR Apex
Quant Multistrategy
19.6
Citadel Tactical Trading
Multistrategy
18.6
DE Shaw Composite
Multistrategy
18.5
Dymon
Multistrategy
18.1
ExodusPoint
Multistrategy
18.04
Kite Lake Special Opportunities
Event-Driven
17.9
AQR Delphi
Quant Equity Long/Short
16.8
Balyasny
Multistrategy
16.7
Schonfeld Fundamental Equity
Multimanager equity
16.5
Walleye
Multistrategy
15.5
Citadel Equities
Equities
14.5
LMR Partners
Multistrategy
13.5
Schonfeld Strategic Partners
Multistrategy
12.5
Marshall Wace
Eureka*/Equity Long/Short
11.6
Pinpoint Multi-Strategy
Multistrategy
11.6
Bridgewater AIA
Quant Macro
11
Taula
Macro
11
Millennium
Multistrategy
10.5
Citadel Wellington
Multistrategy
10.2
FIFTHDELTA
Equity
10.3
New Holland Tactical Alpha
Multistrategy
9.8
Citadel Global Fixed Income
Fixed Income
9.4
Winton
Quant multistrategy
7.4
Source: Bloomberg reporting
*as of Dec. 30
A representative for Bridgewater, which managed $92 billion as of September, declined to comment. Massoud, who manages about $1.4 billion, as well as representatives for the hedge funds mentioned in the table declined to comment.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon supports amending quarterly earnings report requirements. Michel Euler/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Since 1970, U.S. public companies have been mandated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to provide financial updates every three months via quarterly earnings reports. This 55-year-old tradition could soon be cut in half under the Trump administration, which is seeking to move to semi-annual reports. The proposal has drawn both praise and criticism from some of Wall Street’s most influential leaders.
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, voiced his support for President Donald Trump’s suggestion during an interview with Bloomberg TV yesterday (Oct. 7). “I would welcome it,” he said, noting that quarterly forecasts make “CEOs get their back up against a wall.” “They have to meet these things—earnings—and then they start doing dumb stuff,” he added.
Trump floated the proposal last month, arguing that reporting earnings every six months instead of three would “save money and allow managers to focus on properly running their companies.” The President previously pushed for a similar change in 2018 during his first term, when the SEC solicited public feedback but ultimately left the quarterly requirement in place.
This time, however, the SEC appears more willing to act. The agency has indicated that the proposal will be a priority, with Paul Atkins, the SEC’s chair, calling the President’s request “timely” and something the SEC is “working to fast-track.” A draft proposal could be released in the next few months, according to Atkins.
Dimon said JPMorgan would still report earnings quarterly, but with “much less stuff.” He described the requirement as part of a larger problem of “endless rules” that make it harder for companies to go public. “We’ve gone from 8,000 public companies in 1996 to, like, 4,000 today,” he told Bloomberg. “You want an active market, and we’ve kind of crushed it.”
Dimon isn’t alone in supporting the potential shift. Adena Friedman, CEO of Nasdaq, praised Trump’s proposal after it was announced, arguing that quarterly reporting encourages “short-termism“—an excessive focus on immediate results. In a LinkedIn post, she called for “common-sense reforms to reduce the burden on publicly listed companies.”
What financial leaders think of quarterly reporting
Still, Solomon admitted that eliminating quarterly reports could reduce transparency. “I’m still thinking it through, and the firm’s still thinking it through,” he added, noting that he has yet to decide whether he supports the change.
Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, however, has made up his mind. “I don’t understand the merits of holding back from the market, readily knowable information,” he told CNBC in September, warning that accountability could suffer if longer gaps between reports are allowed. “In this day and age, quarterly reporting is fair,” added Griffin. Griffin agreed with Dimon’s view that overregulation discourages initial public offerings, saying barriers to expanding the number of publicly owned companies should be addressed.
This isn’t the first time financial leaders have questioned the quarterly reporting model. In 2018, Dimon and Warren Buffett co-authored a Wall Street Journal op-ed urging companies to reduce or eliminate quarterly earnings forecasts. They argued that such forecasts push companies toward short-term thinking and discourage those with longer-term goals from going public. “Our views on quarterly earnings forecasts should not be misconstrued as opposition to quarterly and annual reporting,” wrote Dimon and Buffett, who maintained that transparency remains “an essential aspect of U.S. public markets.”
Bill Ackman’s investment style has always been unique by hedge fund standards. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The New York Times
Billionaire investor Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management is setting the stage for an initial public offering of its new U.S.-based fund focused on retail investors, the Wall Street Journal reported today (May 31). With around 80 percent of his assets under management already tied up in a publicly traded closed-end fund in Europe, this marks another milestone in Ackman’s breaking from being a traditional hedge fund manager.
The new fund, called Pershing Square USA (PSUS), was announced in February via Ackman’s X account and a fund prospectus. Ackman’s dipping into U.S. retail investors could be him trying to take advantage of his growing media spotlight—the 58-year-old investor has 1.2 million followers on X and gained significant press for his $2.3 billion victory from betting on a 2020 market crash. The fund prospectus stated that Pershing Square’s “brand-name profile and broad retail following will drive substantial investor interest.”
Hedge fund IPOs are rare though not unusual; Man Group and Blue Owl are two known alternative asset managers that are publicly traded. Ackman’s PSUS IPO would likely be the largest and most prominent IPO of its kind in many years.
Ackman founded Pershing Square LP in 2004 as a traditional hedge fund, which took concentrated equity bets and charged close to an industry-standard “2 and 20” fee (2 percent management fee on assets under management and 20 percent on investment returns).
However, in 2014, Ackman introduced a new investment vehicle called Pershing Square Holdings (PSH), a closed-end fund based in Guernsey (an island in the English channel that has become a popular place of incorporation for high net-worth funds) and publicly traded in Amsterdam and London. Unlike traditional hedge funds, investors cannot simply pull their money out from a closed-end fund and the fund charges “1.6 and 16” rather than the traditional “2 and 20.”
PSH’s success has been less than ideal, though. This fund, which raised $3 billion in its 2014 IPO, has consistently traded at a discount to its net asset value, currently managing about $14.6 billion with a market value of approximately $9 billion. This means Pershing Square cannot raise more capital efficiently in the fund, as selling or issuing shares at a price lower than the net asset value would dilute shareholders.
As PSH holds around 80 percent of the assets Ackman manages, this is especially stressful for the company’s future. A 2024 presentation revealed, “In 2023, we thoroughly examined the options for a U.S. listing to increase the number of investors who can own PSH.” Essentially, Pershing Square’s leadership felt that, if U.S. retail investors could buy PSH shares, which they are currently not allowed to do, they would give the company a higher valuation.
PSUS is a reflection of that sentiment; it’s essentially a U.S. version of PSH. It begs the question of why Ackman sought to introduce PSH in European markets in the first place; Bloomberg’s finance columnist Matt Levine believes the answer is likely that the U.S. has stronger regulations on how publicly traded investment funds are allowed to use hedge fund strategies, such as leverage, derivatives and short-selling.
All in all, this would be Ackman’s third IPO. He previously launched Pershing Square Tontine Holdings, the largest-ever SPAC that went public in July 2020 with the intention to acquire privately-held businesses. It liquidated and shut down two years later.
With PSUS, Ackman is further solidifying himself as more of an asset manager, overseeing mostly publicly traded closed-end fund investments, than a typical hedge fund manager. Ackman has always been unique in his style: while traditional hedge funds, like Citadel or Millennium, have become renowned for making dozens of investments, quickly opening and closing out of positions, Ackman prefers to hold long-term activist positions on only a handful of companies.
Priyanka Chopra, a powerhouse in both Bollywood and Hollywood, isn’t just making waves on the silver screen – she’s also crafting unforgettable moments as a devoted mother to her darling daughter, Malti Marie. As a fashionista extraordinaire, Priyanka’s flair extends to her little one’s wardrobe, where she indulges in creating stylish looks that mirror her own iconic sense of style. In a recent heart-to-heart with Vogue India, Priyanka offered an inside peek into her passion for dressing up her mini-fashionista.
Priyanka love styling Malti Marie
During a recent conversation, Priyanka Chopra affectionately named her adorable daughter, Malti Marie, as her fashion muse. She shared, “My fashion muse at the moment is my daughter. I love dressing her up.” Priyanka revealed that she wakes up every morning with outfit ideas for her daughter, planning her looks for the entire day and night while she herself is still in pajamas. She confessed that she often forgets to dress herself, a sentiment that surely resonates with every single mother out there, doesn’t it?
On March 14, all eyes were on the Dostana actress as she landed in India, accompanied by Malti Marie. The paparazzi eagerly awaited their arrival, and Priyanka greeted them with her trademark grace, waving and smiling for the cameras. Dressed in a chic black ensemble paired with a trendy cowboy hat, she exuded effortless style. Meanwhile, little baby girl melted hearts in her cute green outfit.
Priyanka Chopra’s work front
In her professional endeavors, the actress has embraced a new role as the executive producer for the Academy Award-nominated documentary To Kill a Tiger. Directed by the talented Indian-born Canadian filmmaker Nisha Pahuja, the actress enthusiastically shared this thrilling update on her social media platform.
Besides this, she recently graced the screen in the film Love Again and the web series Citadel, where she shares the spotlight with Richard Madden and Stanley Tucci. Additionally, she was poised to join Farhan Akhtar’s Jee Le Zaraa alongside Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif. However, the project faced setbacks due to scheduling conflicts.
And by “storm” I mean “infiltrate covertly”. Like a spy! Or a ninja! After all, it would be in keeping with the espionage theme of the show. Just gotta take notes from the Forger family in Spy x Family! Maybe fork over some cash and buy a spy balloon! Anything to be on theme here. After all, what better way to show this espionage thriller series some love than by dressing up in black from head to tow and suction-cupping my way up the walls of my neighbor’s house to climb in through the unlatched second-floor window, tip-toe my way into the den (but not before raiding the fridge), and binging the entirety of Citadel season 1 in preparation for the second? That’s called being a real fan.
When will season 2 be released?
I’ll be breaking into my neighbor’s house quite a lot this year because the second season of Citadel will most likely be released in 2025. But don’t blame them! It’s a big series! High-budget action sequences don’t shoot themselves overnight! In the meantime, I’ll be binge-watching the spinoff series Diana, covert ops style. You know, with binoculars that see directly into the living room of the house across the street.
What is Citadel about?
Citadel is a spy thriller series about the death knells of the now-defunct global spy agency Citadel. The organization was taken down, and now it and its agents are nothing but a memory. But not even that! Because the former Citadel agents’ memories have been wiped! The Manticore crime syndicate has come in to fill the Citadel-shaped hole that the former spy organization left and is gaining power. Now two former Citadel agents are coming together to reclaim their past and fight for a Manticore-free future! Hooray! To thicken this already oatmeal-consistency plot, those two former spies were once lovers. But they don’t remember a thing! Or do they?
Season 1 ended with one of the spies reclaiming all of his memories. And not all of them are good. In fact, he learns to his chagrin that HE was the mole responsible for taking Citadel down. Oops. Not only that, he now remembers that he was Nadia’s lover. But he doesn’t want to admit it because he’d also have to tell her that he betrayed her and their organization.
Who’s who in the cast?
Richard Madden plays Mason Kane, a former Citadel spy agent, and Nadia’s lover. He is also known as Kyle Conroy, which is his identity after his memories were erased. Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays Nadia Sinh, who now goes by Charlotte Vernon, a restaurant manager in Valencia after her memories were erased. They are joined by Ashleigh Cummings as Abby Conroy, who is Kyle’s wife (drama). She was once known as Celeste Graham, another former Citadel spy (more drama). They are joined by Roland Møller as Anders/Davik Silje, Osy Ikhile as Carter Spence, Caoilinn Springall as Hendrix Conroy, “Kyle” and “Abby’s” daughter, Lesley Manville as Manticore Agent Dahlia Archer, and Stanley Tucci as Bernard Orlick.
Game of Thrones is a juggernaut in the entertainment world – and has a huge cast…but how many of them chill out
For at home entertainment, Game Of Thrones (GOT) is rare, it still commands a huge audience 3 years after its finale. Law and Orderand a few others can claim such status, but it less than 1% of shows who become culturally huge. It’s consistently ranked high in engagement since it concluded and House of the Dragon,” a prequel series, is pacing ahead of Amazon’s “The Rings of Power” in demand. But who in the Game of Thrones universe uses weed?
The Game of Thrones universe can be stressful. You have to contend with everyone possibly trying to stab you in the back (literally), dragons, White Walkers, cult religions, murderous barbarians, incest, and every wedding you attend ending in murder. House of the Dragon is no easy picnic either. Fans are eager for the start of season two of Dragon.
The grand dame of GOT, Diana Ring, was a lifelong smoker of cigarettes to the end, but we have been unable to verify if she was a fan of cannabis. Peter Dinklage is a big wine buff, but no signs of an edible.
Playing characters on HBO’s GOT can be tense, which is why Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams incidentally became friends on the show. To detox from long days being Sansa and Arya Stark, the actresses would wind down like the rest of us—smoking some weed and acting silly.
“We’re kind of like loners on Game of Thrones, just because the past few seasons Maisie and I have sleepovers every night when we’re shooting. Or every night whenever both of us are in town. We just used to sit there and eat and watch stupid videos and smoke weed,” Turner said “I don’t know if my publicist will kill me for saying this. We’d get high and then we’d sit in the bath together and we’d rub makeup brushes on our faces. It’s fun.”
One big fan is Australian actress Milly Alcock. Have been spotted consuming, she stars in House of the Dragon. She made a name for herself in the comedy/drama Upright and has been in a variety of vehicles including a music vehicle.
GOT Richard Madden has since starred as Ikaris in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Eternals (2021) and as a spy in the action thriller series Citadel (2023-present). He mingles marijuana in with all his gigs on screen.
Emilia Clarke excited fans with a brief backstage appearance with Snoop Dogg, but we don’t know if he gifted her any of his products.
For most interns trying to make it in New York, the opportunity to network with top executives doesn’t exactly come with the gig.
But for interns at investment management company Citadel, the perks — like a $5,000 weekly salary and rent fully paid — can rival most full-time jobs.
Citadel’s 290 summer interns began their 11-week-long stint with a kick-off at the lavish Palm Beach Four Seasons, where they’ll attend information sessions and compete in a “Shark Tank” style “leadership challenge” that will force them to come up with potential solutions to issues that could arise within the company, according to a report by Insider.
“We focus on the interns’ personal development and have world-class training and development sessions that help them think about things like how to act as a leader — even as an intern,” Citadel’s Head of Campus Recruiting, Matt Mitro, told the outlet.
The outlet noted that interns would “get the chance to wind down and participate in activities like Spikeball, karaoke, trivia, and cooking classes” while on retreat in Palm Beach.
The New York Postreported that Citadel interns are given free corporate housing where they are interning, including expensive cities such as New York, London, Hong Kong, or Miami.
According to Levels.FYI, a salary tracker, Citadel interns located in New York City for the summer are earning up to an average of $120 per hour ($20,800 a month, $5,200 per week) in addition to free housing, free food while working, and a $10,000 bonus should interns decide to sign on full time at the end of the summer.
For comparison, RentHop reported that the average rent for a studio apartment in New York City for June 2023 was $3,300 per month — nearly $2,000 less than Citadel interns are making per week — not like they care, since their rent is comped for the 11-week internship program.
Citadel, which is run by CEO Ken Griffin, is known for its over-the-top company culture with opulent retreats and parties.
Last December, Griffin shut down Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and paid for 10,000 of his employees to celebrate the holidays there for three days. The trip was completely comped for all and included a private Coldplay concert.
Citadel saw a massive $16 billion gain by the end of 2022, the largest ever by any hedge fund in the U.S.
Griffin’s net worth is an estimated $36.9 billion according to Bloomberg.
Harman Baweja is coming up with a web series called Scoop for Netflix which also stars Karishma Tanna, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub and more. Harman Baweja worked in a handful of films and then took to producing films for a while. He was linked to Priyanka Chopra in the past. They both worked in films such as Love Story 2050 and What’s Your Rashee? And it is during this time, that both Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra were linked with each other. Ahead of the release of his web series, Harman has reacted to the link-up with the Citadel star. Also Read – Shamita Shetty and Aamir Ali dating rumours to her reaction to Raj Kundra’s porn film case: A look at her bold statements, dating history and more
Harman Baweja on his link-up with Priyanka Chopra
Harman Baweja, Karishma Tanna, and Zeeshan Ayyub are giving out interviews to entertainment news portals as they gear up for the release of Scoop on Netflix. And during an interview with ETimes, Harman was asked about his much talked about scoop which is his link-up with Priyanka Chopra. The actor put it on the tabloid media claiming that they would never talk about an actor doing a film or bagging a new film after hard work or even getting injured on the sets while shooting for a movie. But the minute you walk out of a restaurant and a girl follows up after a couple of minutes, they both are quickly linked together. Also Read – These 5 unsuccessful Bollywood star kids are proud owners of multi-crore businesses
When Harman Baweja opened up on his break-up with Priyanka Chopra
Well, years ago. Harman Baweja had reportedly revealed the reason for his breakup. India Today had quoted Harman telling a leading daily that he could not give enough time to Priyanka because of which they broke up. The actor claimed, reports state, that he was too involved in the filmmaking aspect of What’s Your Rashee? to give her time.
Talking about Scoop, it is the story of Jagruti Pathak who is accused of getting help from her underworld connections to kill her rival journalist. The courtroom drama is created and directed by Hansal Mehta alongside Mrunmayee Lagoo. It is reportedly based on Jigna Vora’s Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison.
Priyanka Chopra has giving a number of interviews for Love Again and Citadel. The actress’ statements have gone viral. She has spoken about how she felt like an outcast in Bollywood, the obsession with reed thin bodies and comments on her complexion. Priyanka Chopra also said that she has dated some of her co-stars. She said she was a doormat in almost all her relationships. Priyanka Chopra said she was on a self-destructive mode. She said she never gave priority to herself in the relationship, and she would always put the men first. But she said that they were good people. Also Read – Christmas 2022: Here’s how Katrina Kaif-Vicky Kaushal, Alia Bhatt-Ranbir Kapoor and more celebs will be spending the holiday season
PRIYANKA CHOPRA ON NICK JONAS’ PAST Nick Jonas had reportedly dated a string of beautiful women before he fell head over heels in love with Priyanka Chopra. The names included Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Lilly Collins and Olivia Culpo. In fact, he was in a very intense relationship with Olivia Culpo. Priyanka Chopra told Call Her Daddy podcast that she did find out about Nick Jonas but was not bothered about his past. She was quoted as saying, “I didn’t even mean to look at any other shit. I don’t give a f*** who he dated. We’re talking about the future. I always say this, I don’t read my book backwards. I believe, you always go forward.” Also Read – Priyanka Chopra sizzles in risque red gown; PDA pics with Nick Jonas from a friend’s wedding show the couple knows how to party right
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas are parents to a daughter Malti Marie who has been born through surrogacy. The two built their relationship on a friendship which she described as very organic. Some fans have warned her to avoid riling fans of Selena Gomez. As we know, Selena has one of the biggest fan bases in the world. Her admirers do not spare anyone if they feel she has been dragged in unnecessarily. Her show Citadel has got mixed reactions. Fans have loved Richard Madden and her on the show but feel the plot is a mish mash of all spy series.
Priyanka Chopra is promoting Citadel and dishing out interviews and opening up about her life more than ever. The actress has been sharing deets about her surrogacy, par disparity in Bollywood and more. And in a recent interview, Priyanka Chopra talked about her sweet 16 age. In a podcast interview with Howard Stein, Priyanka recalls how her father Dr Ashok Chopra was livid when she returned from America and had a somewhat difficult puberty time. Priyanka Chopra’s father made some rules after she came back to India. Also Read – Met Gala 2023: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas rock the red carpet in monochrome; Look back at their stunning outfits [Watch Video]
Priyanka Chopra talks about having restrictions at the age of 16
Priyanka Chopra appeared on Howard Stein’s show in which she opened up like never before and her statements are going viral in entertainment news. Howard asked her about her puberty phase and having heard about the restrictions that her father Ashok Chopra, putting bars on her window. Howard asks Priyanka teasingly about how hot she was to have boys chasing her. The actress laughed out loud at that. Priyanka recalls that she was in America studying high school. She had two braids and when she came back to India, he was super paranoid. Also Read – Parineeti Chopra miffed with constant questioning about her wedding with Raghav Chadha; royally ignores paparazzi [Watch video]
Priyanka had got her hair blown out in order to look cool. The actress shares that she came back a little bit more women than her father had anticipated. Priyanka shares that she had been peacocking like she had been peacocking in America and she had boys following her. The Jee Le Zaraa actress shared that a boy had jumped into her balcony at night and that’s when he rather barred her windows. He confiscated her jeans and asked her to wear only Indian clothes. The actress recalls taking his loose shirts and opened up the buttons and Also tied a knot near the waist. Also Read – Met Gala 2023: Alia Bhatt makes maximum impact on the red carpet; Brahmastra actress’ social media engagement way ahead than Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra recalls being arrogant and feeling invincible
Priyanka shares that she did not understand the gravity of the situation back then and now when she looks back at her past years, she wonders how the hell she got away with everything. The actress says that back then she felt invincible and felt that she would get away with everything. When the boy jumped on her balcony, she shares that her father put rules on her. “I was so arrogant and vain in those two years of my life. Especially when I came back to India,” she reveals.
Watch the video of Priyanka Chopra here:
Meanwhile, Priyanka is currently revelling in the successful premiere of Citadel.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is busy promoting Russo brothers’ Citadel with Richard Madden, and in an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, the actress opens up about her prep for the Amazon Prime Video show. We also questioned if Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo used any references from Avengers for the action sequences in Citadel. Here’s what PeeCee has to say. “We knew how big this show was. We have this thing called the war room in the studio, which is incredible. It was basically print outs and renderings of all the sets of the whole show. You will see in episode 6 it gets unbelievable how large the things that we created (are),” she shares.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas further adds, “So the whole room, which was like a large banquet hall. It had renderings all around of the sets of the show, scenes of the show, and we used to sit and do our readings and character notes, and everything inside that room. We always knew the gravity of the show and how large it was going to be, and also the Russos do so much more than just the Avengers. They do so many other features and different kinds, so I don’t think they ever used references, but they were very clear in articulating what the show was, and it was very easily, visually available to us.”
Jee Le Zaraa
Meanwhile, Priyanka Chopra Jonas recently opened up about Jee Le Zaraa also starring Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt. She had said that Alia, Katrina and she are in the busiest phases of their lives, but they are hoping to start shooting next year. “That’s the aim,” PeeCee had said.
Citadel is the most awaited and highly anticipated web series which is being made in various installments including American and Indian installments. Priyanka Chopra Jonas is gearing up for the release of her upcoming web series Citadel. The spy thriller web series produced by Russo Brothers also stars Richard Madden in the lead. Russo Brothers have admitted that James Bond is a huge influence behind Citadel. However, this is not the first thriller being made inspired by Bond. The actress explained how Citadel is different from other James Bond inspired films. Also Read – Bollywood movie sequels starring Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and more that fans wanted but never got made
In an interview, we asked Priyanka Chopra Jonas what sets Citadel apart, in response to it she replied the series is very different and also a very new concept that has never been attempted before. She named a few spy verses such as Ethan Hunt, Mission Impossible, and Bond series stating humans like the idea of spies and espionage. They like intelligence, lies, and deceit and it is a juicy world for people who like to watch. Citadel is also about spies and people can definitely draw comparisons, said PC. She thinks Citadel is very distinct because it is global.Also Read – War 2: Sharvari gets into intense action prep for YRF Spy Universe with Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR?
Talking about differentiation from other Bond series, Priyanka said, “the names I mentioned go to different countries but the concept of Citadel is that the world has decided to share its intelligence. So Citadel has no allegiance to any country.” In this huge world, anyone can be a Citadel agent so it exists in every part of the world. Hence there is an Indian, American, and Italian franchise and the possibility of many more. Priyanka Chopra Jonas stressed that this is a very new concept and “it’s never been attempted before.”Also Read – Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan actress Bhumika Chawla is excited to work with Salman Khan again and talks about her role [Watch Video]
The actress further explained what sets the series apart from others, stating, “Citadel is not about one spy like the others, it’s not 1 Bond, it’s not one Ethan Hunt, it’s not one spy. It is a world of spies. It’s a world of espionage. So Citadel is very character forward, whether it’s Richard’s character, my character, Stanley’s character, or Ashley’s character. We live in the world of espionage, but it’s the relationships between the characters that will keep you glued into the show, you know, Which also I think is very different from the other franchises I talked about.”
Citadel is touted to be a world of espionage and the American installment of the spy thriller stars Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden. Both will play Citadel agents Nadia Sinh and Mason Kane. The Amazon Prime Video series is produced by Russo Brothers and created by Josh Appelbaum and Bryan Oh. Citadel will release on 28th April 2023.
Priyanka Chopra is going places. The Citadel actress is now in India where a special blue carpet was held for the spy thriller which stars Richard Madden and the Bollywood diva. It looks like Amazon Studios is very happy with Priyanka Chopra. Amazon Studios has signed on Priyanka Chopra for one more big project. She will be teamed with none other than Idris Elba and John Cena. The actress will begin her shoot for the project in the month of May. This was reported by the Deadline. Fans in India know Idris Elba from films like The Suicide Squad, Bastille Day and others. The best part is that Priyanka Chopra has confirmed the news. This is what she posted on social media… Also Read – Parineeti Chopra seen at the airport amidst engagement with Raghav Chadha this week; actress’ shy look says it all [View Pics]
DETAILS OF PRIYANKA CHOPRA’S HEADS OF STATE PROJECT The movie will be directed by Ilya Naishuller who has made the Nobody movies. The script of Heads Of State is by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec. The team has kept the plot details under wraps at present as per Deadline. But it seems the movie is a combination of inspiration from classics like Air Force One and Midnight Run. It will be produced by Safran Company’s Peter Safran and John Rickard. Air Force One which is a classic Hollywood film had Harrison Ford in the lead. Midnight Run is a hit movie famous with all fans of Robert De Niro. Also Read – Here’s why Nick Jonas was missing from wife Priyanka Chopra’s Citadel event [Exclusive]
Priyanka Chopra kicked off the world promotions of Citadel from India. She said that she needed all the best wishes of everyone. On the show, Richard Madden and she play spies Mason and Nadia. People feel the duo are looking very good together. Richard Madden said that he is aware of how much India treasures Priyanka Chopra, and he treasures her just as much. The handsome star said he met her for the first time in Cannes and liked her immediately for her vibe. Priyanka Chopra is also supposed to do Jee Lee Zara with Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt. The film will be directed by Farhan Akhtar. Priyanka Chopra in a statement said that she moved to Hollywood as there was a time when she felt cornered in the Hindi film industry.
The Indian instalment of Citadel stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan. Last night, the duo were spotted by the paparazzi at a shooting location in Mumbai.
In the pictures, Varun can be seen donning a long-sleeved white t-shirt paired with light grey coloured shorts. Samantha, on the other hand, is seen looking chic, dressed in a full-sleeved white top with black ripped jeans. She kept her wavy hair open and completed the look with black-rimmed eyeglasses.
Prime Video has released a trailer for Citadel, an ambitious new spy series executive produced by the Russo brothers. Josh Appelbaum and Bryan Oh created the show. What makes Citadel so interesting is the format. To talk about that, we have to discuss the plot a bit. Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden play Nadia Sinh and Mason Cane, ex-agents belonging to an organization called Citadel.
The folks at Citadel were betrayed by one of their own, who started a rival organization called Manticore. Both agencies function outside of any world government, essentially existing as spies for hire. Nadia Sinh and Mason Cane have both forgotten large parts of their past until Cane’s memories begin to return to him. He quickly realizes who he used to be, and finds Sinh to unlock more of his past life.
The structure of the show’s plot itself allows for greater freedom of movement in regard to formatting. It means that the show can exist non-linearly, switching from Sinh and Crane’s past to their present day. They’re also taking it a step further. There are already adaptations in the works for Italian, Indian, and Mexican versions of Citadel. Each of these will be its own unique story with its own unique scenario, and they’ll work together to create a deep shared universe that can be enjoyed by everyone.
Eight years ago, Citadel fell. The independent global spy agency—tasked to uphold the safety and security of all people—was destroyed by operatives of Manticore, a powerful syndicate manipulating the world from the shadows. With Citadel’s fall, elite agents Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) had their memories wiped as they narrowly escaped with their lives. They’ve remained hidden ever since, building new lives under new identities, unaware of their pasts. Until one night, when Mason is tracked down by his former Citadel colleague, Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci), who desperately needs his help to prevent Manticore from establishing a new world order. Mason seeks out his former partner, Nadia, and the two spies embark on a mission that takes them around the world in an effort to stop Manticore, all while contending with a relationship built on secrets, lies, and a dangerous-yet-undying love.
Citadel premieres on Prime Video on April 28.
The 10 Most Ridiculous Tropes In Action Movies
Good luck finding an action movie that doesn’t have at least a few of these stereotypes.
From Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan to SRK’s song Aryan Khan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu in Citadel, Sidharth Malhotra–Kiara Advani‘s wedding preparations, Shehzada starrer Kartik Aaryan–Kriti Sanon, Thalapathy 67, Disha Patani and more have grabbed headlines in the Entertainment News section. Pathaan is making box office records upon records. Aryan Khan gets trolled for ignoring the paparazzi. Samantha Ruth Prabhu gets a warm welcome as Citadel’s shoot begins, Sidharth Malhotra flies to Delhi for wedding preparations and more. Let’s catch up… Also Read – Pathaan Mania: Yashraj Mukhate edits Shah Rukh Khan’s comment at controversies around the release in Jhoome Jo Pathaan, the mashup wins hearts [Watch]
Samantha Ruth Prabhu begins shoot for Citadel
Samantha Ruth Prabhu has been diagnosed with Myositis a couple of months ago. Samantha was keeping away from shooting for her projects for a while as she was working her way towards recovery. And now, the actress is ready to bounce back into action. Amazon Prime Videos that will be released dropped an amazing photoshoot of Samantha and revealed they have begun the shoot. Check out the whole report here. Also Read – Why do Shah Rukh Khan’s kids Aryan Khan and Suhana Khan IGNORE the paparazzi?
Tu Jhooti Main Makkaar song Tere Pyaar Mein goes viral
Entertainment News has been full of reactions and buzz about Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor starrer movie Tu Jhooti Main Makkaar song Tere Pyaar Mein. Did you know, for the song, Ranbir and Shraddha had 16 costumes? Read the whole report here.
Shehzada
Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon will be seen promoting Shehzada on The Kapil Sharma Show. Kartik was seen flirting with Kriti in front of Kapil Sharma. His reaction to Kartik’s flirting will leave you in splits. Check out the promo here. On the other hand, Manish Shah of Goldmines Telefilms released Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’s Hindi version on YouTube. Shehzada is a remake of the movie. Will it affect its business? Check what Manish has to say here.
Samantha apologises as Kushi starring Vijay Deverakonda gets delayed
Samantha Ruth Prabhu has been away from movies for a while due to her Myositis diagnosis. Due to Samantha’s ill health, the shoot of Kushi for delayed. Samantha recently tweeted out apologising. Vijay asked her to get her health back after which they will begin shoot. Check out the whole report here.
Last night, we told y’all that Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Gautham Menon and others have joined the cast of the next Thalapathy Vijay starrer directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. Trisha and Thalapathy Vijay will be reunited for 14 years. Check out the whole report here. The shooting will begin soon and in snowclad mountains. Check out the location here.
Aryan Khan ignores paparazzi
Aaryan Khan has been keeping away from the paparazzi forever. The starkid has been through a lot in 2021 and he has made fresh beginnings. This time paparazzi asked Aryan for ignoring them all the time. However, Aryan yet again ignored them. Check out the video and netizens’ reaction to the same here.
J-Hope enthrals everyone with his photo folio concept film
BTS member J-Hope aka Jung Hoseok will turn a year older this month. He celebrates his birthday on 18 February. And hence, it’s time to have a look at his Photo Folio. Hobi looks very handsome indeed. Especially, in a long mane.
Watch the J-Hope phot Folio concert video here:
Sidharth-Kiara begin their wedding prep
It is being said that Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Adani are going to tie the knot soon. And now, Sidharth recently flew to Delhi, as per reports. It is said that Sidharth is looking into the prep by himself. Check out the whole deets here.
Disha Patani fans support her after her video with Jackson Wang gets trolled
Jackson Wang performed in India for the first time ever at the Lollapalooza India event. Jackson Wang also met Disha Patani and they went touring the city of Mumbai. The video went viral and Disha was trolled for the same. However, Disha’s fans came in his support. Check out the report here.
Ashoke Pandit reacts to Entertainment Industry did not included in budget 2023
Union Budget 2023 was revealed today. The budget did not have the inclusion of the entertainment industry. Ashoke Pandit reacted to the same saying that the government has always ignored the industry. Check out the whole report here.
In the conversation for this article, Julia joined me from her home in Southern Portugal to chat about her homestead, local community and Bitcoin. I found many parallels between how Julia talks about Bitcoin and homesteading with what I have heard from many homesteaders and farmers in the U.S. during my trip across the country this summer. The work to understand and work on Bitcoin or a farm demand high upfront investment and very low time preference.
In my conversation with Julia, we touched on her backstory as a German who moved her life to Portugal, the growth of the Bitcoin meetup in her local community and what it takes to operate a homestead that feeds her family.
Julia’s Backstory
Sidd: Let’s start with a bit of your backstory. Tell me about how you ended up in Portugal. Why did you move there and why did you stay?
Julia: I’m originally from Germany, and coming to Portugal was really just a part of something that happens to you when you’re in your late teens or early 20s. I first set foot on Portuguese terrain when I was 19 — I wanted to travel, so I looked around for some jobs. I found an opportunity to work in Portugal for three months, and I thought I would travel on to some other country after. But then, as life happens, I got offered a full-time job and I thought, “Yes, I’m going to resettle here in Portugal.”
A view from the land in Portugal which Julia eventually settled on. All images included in this article are courtesy of Julia.
Since then, my parents moved over together with my brothers shortly after me. I’ve been back to Germany a few times to visit some family, but my close family is here. The last time I went to Germany was maybe 15 years ago! I don’t go back regularly.
Local Community And Meetups
Sidd: Tell me about the community that you’ve built there. When I chatted with your friend earlier, she mentioned a local market that began in 2020.
Julia: Our community has always been on the alternative side of things, but it was really COVID-19 that kicked this community and networking thing into gear. That’s when everybody thought, “It’s now or never to build a strong local community and economy.” And that’s when the alternative markets started happening. People were looking for their tribe, because it became so apparent that there is a tribe: you’re either on this side, or you’re on the other side. In a way, COVID-19 has been a real blessing for community building here because it helped us grow into a very strong, little, tight-knit community.
Sidd: Tell me about the alternative market. What’s sold there? Who is selling and who is buying?
Julia: The market group currently counts over 1,000 members, and is based on private land with expected attendance of several hundred people from the Algarve. The Algarve region in South Portugal spans only 200 kilometers by 50 (kilometers) or so, and comprises the wider community who goes to the market. The local community who are producing and selling most of the goods at the market are within about a half hour drive of the market.
Setting up at the market!
Most of what is sold at the market are handicrafts, jewelry, homemade products, soaps, cosmetics, natural healing tinctures and so on, with some foods. All homemade items. It’s on private land so fewer regulations apply to what’s sold.
Sidd: How many Bitcoiners are there in the community? Is there a Bitcoin meetup?
Julia: I started to understand Bitcoin only at the beginning of last year. Since then, we’ve had this one individual in the community — I’ll call him Rick — who started educating people on Bitcoin. His girlfriend is also very much into creating networks and running events, so she hosts regular meetups. Before these events started, I didn’t know anybody who was into Bitcoin. Now, I see Bitcoiners everywhere because I’m in the group. The same thing happened to me with homeschooling. Before I started homeschooling, I never knew there was a homeschooling community. The moment I started doing it myself, suddenly, it’s everywhere.
Portugal in general is a great magnet for Bitcoiners as well because the government brings a very relaxed approach to it. At the moment, you don’t have to pay capital gains tax. The government is discussing a possible capital gains tax, but for now it would only apply if you sell less than 12 months after purchasing.
Julia’s Interest In Bitcoin
Sidd: So, tell me about your interest in Bitcoin. Where did it come from?
Julia: I had been hearing about Bitcoin for years, but it wasn’t until a video (which I can’t remember now!) triggered a particular interest that I really started investigating. It was really Rick who helped answer all my questions and foster my interest. Before I had someone to sit down with and ask my questions to, it was all very dodgy. Meeting Rick was my entrance to the Bitcoin rabbit hole.
I had questions about the energy use, and how bitcoins resist being copied with a click. I also sat down with Rick to talk about what decentralization actually means, and why it matters. When the philosophical stuff kicked in — like what does all of this mean for humanity — I really got hooked. I could see something so different for the future of humanity in this.
Sidd: Let’s go back to homesteading. What parallels, if any, do you see between homesteading and Bitcoin?
Julia: The ups and down. You have to just flow with the ups and downs, you will have good days and successful times and then it will go downhill again. You have to swallow that as well. It’s like when you lose your whole flock of chickens in one night to a predator, that’s that. You could then decide to give up and sell, or you just keep going. And I think also, speaking to the aspect of community, Bitcoin-only people are generally a very nice bunch. The same goes for farmers. They’re very down-to-earth people, which I like.
A view from Julia’s land.
There’s also a long-term approach to success shared between those two communities. You can’t just create a successful farm in half a year. It’s almost generational. It takes years until the soil responds and improves. Years of diligent day-to-day work, I would say. No quick-fix solutions.
Overview Of The Homestead
Sidd: Tell me about your homestead. What are you producing?
Julia: It’s a small homestead, probably a couple of acres. It’s really a family home. I bought it as a ruin in 2000, so we’ve been here over 20 years. At first I started by planting a few trees, and had my first successes and failures. Planting trees sounds easy, but with the hot and dry Portuguese summers, it’s not.
I was immediately confronted with the realities of nature. However, I persevered as I’ve always been interested in the relationship between health and food. That inevitably brings you to growing your own food, because nothing else you can buy out there is high quality enough to keep you healthy.
Beautiful sundried tomatoes from the garden.
It really kicked into gear when I had children. My daughter is almost 10 years old now, so about 10 years ago I got serious: I want my own eggs and my own milk. And that’s when I really started more and more homesteading and animal keeping. I’m very focused on animal production, without a lot of vegetable growing. The aim is to supply the family. And finally, after so many years, we’re there. We actually have a constant supply of raw milk and eggs. We also have some fruit trees, but I’m focusing on my chickens and my goats. We recently started with pigs who are great prolific providers. Having a freezer full of your own meat is also a very good feeling.
Sidd: Are you at a point now where you’re overproducing and selling or having to store all this food?
Julia: I can sell some excess now. In springtime during the high season for eggs, I’m very happy to sell eggs as well as a few liters of milk. We are turning the idea of the homestead into an educational one: we’re running workshops on homesteading once or twice a month, depending on the season as well.
Julia puts an educational spin on homesteading by running regular workshops to help the local community sharpen their skills.
For example, we did one in September on vegetable fermentation to preserve vegetables from the fall harvest over the winter. We are now integrating Bitcoin education into those workshops as well. We have a bit of a farm shop too, which is just a big shelf in the kitchen where people can buy seeds, the beef jerky I make and other products.
Labor, Scaling And Costs
Sidd: What labor is involved now in operating your homestead, and how does that change across the seasons?
Julia: I do it alone, and it’s well organized. If you’ve got your infrastructure nicely set into place, then it’s quite easy. However, you’re still there twice a day every day for feeding and for moving goats around in the pen. We practice a regenerative, holistic approach so we never keep the animals in one place. Sometimes, I need some help moving big structures, so I will ask somebody in the community to help. I’m usually out for at least an hour in the morning, and then another hour in the evening, just for the daily basics.
Seasonal works do exist. In the winter it’s wet, and there’s more to do in terms of fixing shelters and fences. The summer is our dormant season here; it’s too hot to do any extra work. Summers are about getting feed, water and shelter for the animals.
Sidd: How did you scale up your homestead? What did you start with and what did you add as you went on?
Julia: I started with chickens, then pretty quickly expanded the number of chickens and started with goats. As just one person, there is not all that much scaling you can do. What you can do is stack: integrate one thing with another. I couldn’t just suddenly run 20 goats, but I could integrate the goats with the pigs because that’s not all that much more. That adds just a little bit to my daily chores. My husband still goes to work and I am homeschooling the kids, so I need to keep the labor on the homestead under control.
One of Julia’s hardy goats.
I’m now at a point where I can supply the family with milk and eggs to what we need and have that little bit of extra which pays for the animals’ feed, and that’s kind of a sweet spot to be in. I don’t see myself growing a lot at the moment. I might be able to buy another piece of land in the future and restructure some stuff. Possibly get a dairy cow instead of the goats, and maybe a beef cow instead of the pigs. We’ll see.
Sidd: Speaking of the feed, what costs are involved with the homestead that you’re running?
Julia: The cost of feed here over the course of the last 12 months has almost doubled. I do have to buy grain for the animals, even though they are out on pasture and occasionally getting kitchen leftovers. Other than that, we’re very lightweight on costs. Structures like small shelters are often self-made with whatever I can find. The only other significant cost is in electric fencing. I have very low vet costs because I keep my animals very clean and healthy. I don’t do the whole deworming and all that because I believe a healthy animal doesn’t have worms. In that way, we’re quite low on costs.
Mistakes And Advice
Sidd: What major mistakes have you made on your homesteading journey?
Julia: I think I wasted a lot of energy before I got to a true understanding of the land. That true understanding of the land came in 2015 when I did an extensive permaculture course online from Geoff Lawton. His course just put everything into place. Suddenly I knew how to harvest my water and where to put trees so they actually survive. I would recommend anyone starting a homestead to do one of those comprehensive training courses with a good teacher like Geoff or Allan Savory. Allan gave me a great understanding of how animals work in harmony with the ground and vegetation on the land.
Sidd: Knowing what you know now, where would you have started with homesteading? Would you have done it the same way that you did it or would you have started differently?
Julia: I think I took a fairly straightforward approach. There will always be a learning curve with mistakes and losses. I think for somebody just starting out, it’s smart to begin with small animals. You can’t run a cattle ranch with 100 heads overnight; you really have to grow into it in order to integrate your land and animals effectively. You have to be connected to your land and to your animals and the environment. You need to start small and feel your way.
Don’t try to integrate too many species. It’s all very romantic — them hopping around in the same pen — but in reality, it usually doesn’t work. They will either kill each other or eat each other’s food. We’ve made all those mistakes. I thought I could just put some ducks with the chickens, but the ducks killed my chicks. Those are things you don’t know until you try and see for yourself.
Definitely read books, but really see if what you read in those books makes sense for you. People can get so lost wanting to grow their own food and be self-sustainable, yet having no idea what it takes. Growing your own vegetables is tough! They are so sensitive, they will die on you with any number of tiny mistakes and everything wants to eat them. So make sure you keep enough money in your back pocket to support you, and don’t count on your food production.
Sidd: Thanks for joining me today and sharing all your knowledge and experiences gained through your homestead. How can people find you?
Julia: They can check out the Facebook page for our homestead, Terra Robinia, where we share some tips and event details for our workshops.
Sidd: Thank you Julia!
This is a guest post by Captain Sidd. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
In 2015, the hedge fund titan Kenneth C. Griffin became the first person to spend half a billion dollars on art in a single transaction. David Geffen made a deal with Griffin to sell him Willem de Kooning’s boldly colored abstract masterpiece Interchange for $300 million, and Jackson Pollock’s Number 17A—the splatter painting Life magazine plastered in its pages in 1949, minting Jack the Dripper an American celebrity—for $200 million.
Griffin could have scurried away with the masterpieces to one of his homes: a $238 million apartment at 220 Central Park West and a $120 million London mansion near Buckingham Palace, the most expensive apartment in Chicago history, getaways in Aspen and Hawaii, a large chunk of Miami’s Star Island. Instead he let them go on view at the Art Institute of Chicago, placing 20th-century masterworks next to the museum’s iconic impressionist and postimpressionist holdings.
“My art collection is almost all at the Art Institute of Chicago, it’s been there for years,” Griffin said to David Rubenstein in March 2019, while appearing on his show Peer-to-Peer Conversations. “For me, the fact that 700,000 or a million people a year will have a chance to see some of the greatest works of art of our culture, that I’m fortunate enough to own? I have great satisfaction in that.”
But at some point over the last few years, those two works, the Pollock and the de Kooning traded in the biggest art sale ever, were quietly taken down from the museum. Their whereabouts were unknown.
The Saturday after Art Basel, I took a Brightline train from Miami to Palm Beach to attend openings and cocktails parties that make up the New Wave Art Weekend. At one point I swung by the Norton, the West Palm Beach museum that houses the collection of Ralph Hubbard Norton, a 20th-century steel magnate from Chicago who summered in Florida. I had seen the permanent collection twice in the past two years and thought I knew it pretty well, but after walking out from a gallery of top-notch work by Georgia O’Keeffe, Stuart Davis, and Edward Hopper, I saw a work made the year Norton died, something I had presumed would have been well out of the museum’s acquisitions budget: Mark Rothko’s No. 2 (Blue, Red and Green) (Yellow, Red, Blue on Blue) (1953), which exploded the artist’s market when it sold at Sotheby’s in 2000 for $11 million, or about $30 million accounting for inflation.
As the wall text explained, it was at the Norton on loan from a private collection, after having been shown at the Art Institute of Chicago from October 2020 to June 2022. Also new was a peak Roy Lichtenstein masterwork, Ohhh…Alright… (1964), which set an artist record when it sold for $42.6 million at Christie’s, consigned by Steve Wynn, who bought it from Steve Martin. It too was shown at the Art Institute of Chicago, and belongs, the wall text said, to a private collection. And across the hall, an untitled Robert Ryman that was on the walls of the great Chicago museum as recently as 2017 was hanging at the Norton, thanks to a private collection.
Sources confirmed that all three came from Griffin.
And then, around a corner and installed with little to no ceremony, were two works very much in a private collection, but a collection that everyone knows: Interchange and Number 17A, owned by Griffin.
Without fanfare, at least a billion dollars of Griffin’s art departed the second-biggest encyclopedic institution in the country and ended up in Palm Beach. The Norton declined to comment when asked about the new works in its collection, as did the Art Institute, but Griffin provided a statement to True Colors on Thursday.
“The Norton is one of our country’s most significant and beautiful museums,” Griffin said. “I hope South Florida families, students and visitors will enjoy and be inspired by these pieces and the thousands of works of art from all over the world displayed at the museum.”
Griffin was very public about moving Citadel, his hedge fund with over $50 billion in assets, to Miami earlier this year. The prodigal son of the sunshine state—Griffin’s a Boca Raton native and a graduate of Boca Raton Community High School—returned in after decades of support for Chicago, the city he lived in since graduating from Harvard in 1989 and immediately crushed it with his own fund.
In departing the Windy City, Griffin left behind the Illinois governor (and fellow billionaire) with whom he publicly feuded over raising taxes on the wealthy and what he claimed was a rising crime rate (JB Pritzker); a hedgie ex-wife who claimed in a yearlong divorce battle that she was forced to sign a prenup that only gave her a $1 million a year (Anne Dias-Griffin); and a gubernatorial candidate that Griffin bankrolled to the tune of $50 million only to see steamrolled in a Republican primary by a Trump-backed candidate (Richard Irvin).
At the outset of the pandemic, Griffin rented out the entire Four Seasons in Palm Beach, parked off-duty cops outside, and restricted entry to anyone but his employees. He made Citadel’s move official in August, taking space in a building owned by fellow art-collecting billionaire Vlad Doronin, until a new HQ can be built. He’s spent weekends on Palm Beach, where he’s bought up sizable contiguous chunks of the south part of the island.
Griffin has also gone all in on Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor who, in his successful reelection campaign in November, became the first Republican in decades to carry the once-hard-blue Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. Griffin told Politico in a rare interview that his deep pockets would back the heir to MAGA-dom if he ran for president in 2024. Griffin’s already started to flex his political sway, in Florida and elsewhere. He donated more than $100 million to Republican candidates in 2022, and is very much over his next-door neighbor at Mar-a-Lago.
This is an opinion editorial by Stephan Livera, host of the “Stephan Livera Podcast” and managing director of Swan Bitcoin International.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending and speaking at Liberty In Our Lifetime, a conference organized by the Free Cities Foundation in Prague, Czechia. And it dawned on me that we’re now seeing the rise of an adjacent and relevant movement for Bitcoiners interested in citadels, and what they might even look like in the real world.
The Free Cities Movement is made up of a combination of Libertarians, Bitcoiners, free private city operators and investors, seasteaders, those seeking to create intentional communities and those attempting to create parallel institutions and structures within the existing statist world of today. What lessons are there in this movement and how can more Bitcoiners get involved?
At a high level, there is a strong crossover between the cause of many Bitcoiners and those pursuing free cities. They have a broadly Libertarian ethos, and they’re interested in financial freedom and creating parallel structures. For people unfamiliar with the free cities movement or the free private city concept, I recommend listening to my podcast episodes with Titus Gebel (SLP161, SLP417) or, of course, reading the free private cities white paper as ways of learning more.
As a leader in the free private cities movement, Gebel opened the conference up with a reminder on why there is a fundamental need for this parallel approach. He noted that modern day states are being driven by the “bolshe-woke” progressives. Many institutions of society have effectively been captured, bloated and/or corrupt. Progressives simply go where their ideas do not have to work in the real world, such as universities or in media. Over time, the social and cultural degeneration has worsened, such that even a moderate or center-left person in decades gone by is now considered a “far right wing” person.
For this reason, there is a need to create alternatives. But it is only through trial and error that we can understand which approaches work, and which ones don’t. Of course, there will be many states that resist this kind of thing, but there may be some that can be brought on board if the approach is “win-win” in terms of creating jobs and opportunities for people locally, or perhaps to attract foreign investment.
Overall, I sensed a bias toward action rather than merely speaking about the philosophy of freedom and Libertarianism, which is one I appreciate.
ZEDEs: Próspera Morazán And Ciudad Morazán
Some of the most prominent projects within the free cities community are based on the idea of using Honduran Zones For Employment And Economic Development (ZEDEs) to create the conditions for good, private governance.
Now, there’s good and bad. The good is that the projects are carrying forward with building, and given a set up that promises favorable regulation and lower taxes, this could be attractive for investors, entrepreneurs and even workers. The bad is that there are challenges on the way, and some states will resist as they could view free private cities as a challenge to their national sovereignty.
Trey Goff of Próspera spoke about the market for governance and how globally, there is a huge market here in additional potential wealth. How much extra wealth could be created if people all around the world had access to high-quality governance?
Could these free private cities replicate the successes of other economically free zones such as Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Singapore or Dubai?
The Próspera governance platform was laid out like so:
Goff also noted that by providing the right circumstances, such as competitive taxes (such as a 10% flat income tax, 2.5% value-added tax (VAT) and 1% land value), along with high-quality infrastructure and dispute resolution, they might hypothetically achieve the following growth:
And it’s not all about rich businessmen and expats. There will be job opportunities for, say, local Hondurans who could come and work for a company inside the ZEDE/free city. There are some projects that intend to provide work opportunities for blue-collar workers, and have housing that is low cost and accessible. Some speakers mentioned how the ZEDEs are looking to hire Hondurans and provide well paid jobs, paying above what they would otherwise be earning.
The Elephant In The Honduran Room
To be clear, there is one elephant in the room: the recent Honduran election and change in president, and the Honduran congress repealing the so-called ZEDE law to undo the ZEDE framework. There is technically a 50-year protection in place, according to the presentations, as the government is supposed to respect the “acquired right,” but as noted by one free city project speaker, the government still controls the men with guns. So, it’s still unclear what happens with these particular ZEDEs/free private city projects as there is expected to be a ratification process taking place next year.
I have sympathy for the people operating, investing and promoting the ZEDEs as they are likely subject to unfair mainstream media treatment. Bitcoiners know this feeling well, as they are subject to being told that “Bitcoin is dead” (for the thousandth time) or that “Bitcoin boils the oceans” (while the mainstream cites a statist central bank blogger with an ax to grind). ZEDE operators seem to want to provide liberty, choice and improved prosperity, from what I could tell.
ZEDEs From A Bitcoin Perspective
Interestingly for Bitcoiners, Próspera is open in terms of legal tender and there is no capital-gains tax, permitting free spending of bitcoin without accounting and record keeping headaches. Also of note is that the island of Roatán (Próspera is located on this island) also has focused Bitcoiner education.
Dusan Matuska spoke at the conference about his educational efforts with AmityAge Academy, the first Bitcoin education center in Honduras. There are Bitcoin workshops, and restaurants and pubs on the island accepting bitcoin, and even bitcoin education projects and events planned, such as the bitcoin hill run.
Seasteaders
There were some influential people from the seasteading movement presenting as well, such as Patri Friedman, Joe Quirk and others. The tagline I noticed was, “stop arguing. Start seasteading,” which I can understand given the attitude of many statists around the world who proactively stop Libertarians and other free-minded people from having freedom.
If all (or most) of the land on earth is claimed and ruled by statists, is the answer really to go and set up shop on the seas? I saw various approaches and ideas being shared in this way, such as the creation of a SeaPod (or perhaps to be stylized as a “SeaBNB”), which could be set up such that the visitors/inhabitants get a full 360-degree view of the sea.
There were various technological and almost sci-fi ideas shared too, such as the use of drone delivery, helipads and intelligent voice assistants (that don’t “phone home” to Apple, Google, Amazon, etc.).
Separate from the SeaPod, there were also ideas presented on how to gradually create a community of like-minded seasteaders who would first get together in their boats in marinas around the world, and then slowly and gradually shift out in stages, the idea being to form connected floating platforms that permit freer markets out at sea, and to have the ability for people to join, leave or to reconfigure their components of the joint floating platform, all within a free market voluntary context.
Flag theorists
Of course, from the Libertarian world there is “flag theory” and we saw some consultancy services such as Katie The Russian’sPlan B Passport and Staatenlos’ talk about playing the geo-arbitrage game.
This could mean using various kinds of “flags”: citizenships, residencies, business structures, bank accounts, phone service, insurance and various other components to select from choices around the world — instead of being locked into one country. This crowd is, of course, very familiar with using Bitcoin as part of an overall strategy to gain freedom and generally they are comfortable transacting using bitcoin.
Bitcoiners
Of course there were bitcoiners present, too. I gave a talk about some practical tools and examples of people or organizations using Bitcoin as a parallel system.
We also saw some well-known Bitcoiners present and hosting a panel discussion on Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal. Daniel Prince, Knut Svanholm, Andre Lojas, Jeff Booth (virtually), Greg Foss (virtually) and Lawrence Lepard (virtually) presented on the Free Madeira initiative.
And of course, while in town in Prague, the Bitcoiner crew visited Paralelní Polis, a unique organization known for promoting liberty, and crypto anarchy. There you can pay with bitcoin on chain or through Lightning!
Summing Up
These various projects and methods are additive and helping the overall cause of freedom. For example, the flag theorists are out there encouraging individuals to acquire additional residencies or passports and to play the jurisdictional arbitrage game, this helps reinforce the idea that countries or states have to compete with each other to attract talented individuals or businesses. The creation of new free cities projects also helps provide new opportunities. The seasteading efforts (though perhaps not my cup of tea), are still additive in providing new opportunities for people to express their desire for freedom and to choose a different jurisdiction.
Of course, most powerfully, Bitcoin has a big role to play in enabling these other projects and initiatives to operate, even in spite of fiat banking system resistance. We should all look to ways that we can act more freely, and grow our parallel financial system: Bitcoin.
This is a guest post by Stephan Livera. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
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