Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
GameStop Corp. CEO Ryan Cohen has called his investment in the video game retailer a “mistake,” saying an unexpected leadership role forced him to adopt an all-or-nothing mindset.
Ryan Cohen Calls GameStop Investment A Mistake
Speaking with Anthony Pompliano at the Silvia Investor Summit in New York, Cohen reflected on the decisions that led him to take charge of GameStop in a conversation posted on social media.
Asked about a failure that taught him a valuable lesson, Cohen admitted that his investment in the company was one of his mistakes.
-
Still Learning the Market?These 50 Must-Know Terms Can Help You Catch Up Fast
Pompliano recounted how Cohen initially invested in GameStop, later joined its board and eventually became CEO, despite not originally planning to run the company.
Cohen agreed the outcome wasn’t what he envisioned, calling the investment a misstep.
Why Cohen Believes Having No Plan B Drives Success
However, Cohen said that once he assumed responsibility for GameStop, he couldn’t walk away.
He explained that being in a position with no easy escape can push people to achieve extraordinary results. Cohen said he was prepared to face the consequences if the company failed, rather than abandon the challenge.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but when I end up in a situation like, you know, taking over GameStop, failure wasn’t an option. If it was, I was, you know, going to go down with the ship,” he said.
According to Cohen, people can become significantly more productive when they operate in survival mode and have no alternative to succeeding.
Trending:Avoid the #1 Investing Mistake: How Your ‘Safe’ Holdings Could Be Costing You Big Time
He suggested that such circumstances force people to commit fully to solving problems, potentially bringing out their best performance.
“So, I don’t know, maybe I subconsciously put myself in situations like that, but that’s when you get the best results in life,” he concluded.
GameStop CEO @ryancohen wants to win.
I sat down with him and he explained how AI is changing work and hiring, his concerns about where humans fit in an automated future, and the rise of the retail investor.
We also discuss Neuralink, how he talks to shareholders, his biggest… pic.twitter.com/rTtMJdRIi8
— Anthony Pompliano 🌪 (@APompliano) October 14, 2026
