SPYDATES: My Life as an Intelligence Officer

Throughout the years, as one conducts company visits and gathers market data, one may be contacted by many global institutions to serve as an intelligence officer. Some of the more interesting tasks I was assigned involved gathering intelligence on executives and their organizational activities, which often benefited from the qualitative and quantitative mindset of a market speculator.

For example, I was once assigned to gather market intelligence on a pre-IPO real estate developer and analyze debt issuance allocations across various subsidiaries. These subsidiaries were characterized by nepotism, corruption, and money laundering linked to the highest levels of government.

In another instance, I investigated and uncovered connections between bribery and corruption in retail space leases. These were linked to a nepotistic holdings group focused on luxury brand retailing and a landlord with government connections.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

One of the rules when conducting these investigations was to find interesting and unique ways to obtain intelligence without disclosing your purpose or for whom you were working. Another rule was to avoid speaking directly to the entity or person in question. This leads me to two major points that I discuss frequently in the video below:

1. Most organizations function as Ponzi schemes that survive through bureaucracy by getting bigger—'the deep state'—or, as I prefer to measure it, via centralization vis-à-vis debt to GDP.

2. Distance yourself from validation-starved people. This person was contacted on a dating app and discussed 'the deep state' on a first date? LMAO.

How did I detach myself from bureaucracy and validation-starved people? I had my own 'Me First' movement.