Business Breakdowns
Episode 103 Jim Chanos: A Short Thesis on Data Centers
Business Breakdowns

Episode 103: Jim Chanos: A Short Thesis on Data Centers

Business Breakdowns

Episode 103

Jim Chanos: A Short Thesis on Data Centers

Jim Chanos is the president and founder of Kynikos Associates. We cover his short thesis on the US Data Center REITs, his bear case for commercial real estate, and some broader wisdom on how management can thoughtfully respond to short sellers.

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(00:03:30) - (First question) - His counter-narrative thesis of shorting traditional data centers

(00:09:34) - How data center hyperscalers have been shifting the industry since 2016

(00:12:14) - The size, margins, and depreciation profile of the data center industry

(00:16:14) - The cash burn problem with digital REITs

(00:18:30) - How he thinks about interest rates, liquidity, and leverage in the space

(00:20:25) - More on why the value of these data centers is so elusive

(00:21:57) - The extent to which macro tech slowdowns intersect with his thesis

(00:23:13) - What investors see in these businesses that he discounts

(00:26:59) - Risks for the short and the bull case for data centers

(00:29:04) - Big concerns about the broader commercial real estate market

(00:36:34) - The best way for operators to handle a short thesis about their company

(00:39:49) - Critical mistakes he recommends managers avoid

Jim Chanos: A Short Thesis on Data Centers

Introduction

Compound248
I am Compound248 back to host another episode of Business Breakdowns. My most recent podcasts have focused on digital infrastructure. And today, we continue with that theme, but with a twist. Our guest is Wall Street legend, Jim Chanos, famed for bringing a skeptical eye to a credulous world. Together, we walk through his short thesis on the U.S. data center REITs, his bear case for commercial real estate and some broader wisdom on how management can thoughtfully respond to short sellers. Let's get started.

What Data Centers Are and Why Jim Shorted Them

Compound248
Jim, thank you. For most listeners, your reputation as the world's foremost short seller will have preceded you. So I'm grateful for you joining us. We'll hopefully have a little bit of a wide-ranging discussion on markets and short selling. But I'd love to begin with a timely call you made public last summer on shorting data centers.

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