David Leinweber
Author of Nerds on Wall Street: Math, Machines & Wired Markets" (Wiley 2009 - http://nerdsonwallstreet.com)
David Leinweber, founder of the Center for Innovative Financial Technology at Berkeley is a financial technologist and former quantitative investment manager for $6 billion in global equity assets. Founder of one of the first commercial algo trading firms. Widely published author and speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Intelligence Amplification, and other leading edge technologies for Wall Street.
Frequent speaker on financial and technology.
Institutional Investor magazine's backpage "Nerd on the Street" columnist.
"Ready, Fire, Aim" Market Reform
Previous disasters, all notably less damaging than the Great Mess of '08, have led to deep serious analysis of their causes. The general notion being that understanding the causes might be useful in avoiding nasty repeat performances. This has been Standard Operating Procedure for a long time for good reason. The alternative Ready Fire Aim approach can be hazardous to your health, yet that seems to be the plan for the newly announced Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, tasked with reporting back on the crisis that nearly broke capitalism by the end of 2010, while the legislation to avoid a financial crisis is being crafted now.
Forget the bailout, start over: the New American Bank Initiative
The bailout of the US financial system isn't working. The government's rescue plan has fundamental flaws, including incentives that favor the failed firms, not the country as a whole. New ideas are needed. In "New American Bank Initiative: Removing structural flaws in the economic rescue," Sal Khan and I propose a radically different plan–don't prop up existing banks, take part…