Carson Block

Carson Block is an American investor and the founder of Muddy Waters Research.^[1] He is known for documenting and alleging fraudulent accounting practices in publicly traded Chinese companies.^[2]

Carson Block
Born	(1977-04-27) April 27, 1977 (age 47)
Alma mater	University of Southern California Chicago-Kent College of Law
Occupation	Investor
Known for	founder of Muddy Waters Research
Title	Founder, CEO, & CIO of Muddy Waters Capital LLC
Website	muddywaterscapital.com

Early life and career

Block grew up in Summit, New Jersey. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California and holds a J.D. degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law.^[3]

Block went to work with his father, a period he describes as “very embittering” as he was “lied to by a parade of management” of internet companies. He quit equity analysis for law school, later moving to Shanghai before leaving law and setting up a self-storage business in 2007.^[4]

In 2011, Block was ranked as a 50 Most Influential Thinker by Bloomberg Markets.^[5]

In September 2017, Block initiated a private lawsuit against Equifax, accusing the latter of neglecting to safeguard his personally identifiable information.^[6] He appears in the documentary The China Hustle, outlining his research into securities fraud of Chinese companies through Muddy Waters.^[7] In early 2018, he was also forced to settle a case with St. Jude Medical Inc. in order to avoid a lawsuit.^[8]

References

1. "Carson Block: The man behind Muddy Waters, a scourge of listed Chinese companies". The Economist. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
2. Weil, Jonathan (10 January 2013). "Big China Short Shows Downside of Kleptocracy". Bloomberg View. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
3. Kawa, Lucas (17 December 2012). "How Short-Seller Carson Block Became The Most Hated Man In China". Business Insider. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
4. Shazar, Jon. "Carson Block's Effort To Avoid Becoming His Father A Serious Pain For Potentially Fraudulent Businesses". Dealbreaker. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
5. "Bloomberg Markets Most Influential 50". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on September 23, 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
6. "My $500,000 lawsuit over the Equifax cyberbreach is personal, says short-seller Carson Block". cnbc.com. 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
7. Block, Carson. "Yes, China Does Cheat In Trade - The Rest Of The World Needs To Wake Up". Forbes.
8. "UNIFORM APPLICATION FOR INVESTMENT ADVISER REGISTRATION AND REPORT BY EXEMPT REPORTING ADVISERS" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2021-12-07.