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Sarah Tew/CNET
It might seem unlikely that a proceeding of the House Committee on Financial Services would spark jokes and memes, but Thursday’s hearing about GameStop’s recent stock volatility was no ordinary event.
The committee is holding a virtual hearing, titled Game Stopped? Who Wins and Loses When Short Sellers, Social Media, and Retail Investors Collide. The chief executives of Reddit, Robinhood, Citadel and Melvin Capital are all attending.
But perhaps the most intriguing attendee is Keith Gill, the Reddit poster who spearheaded the GameStop buying frenzy and is now accused of market manipulation.
As CNET reported Wednesday, law firm Hagens Berman filed a class action suit on Tuesday against Gill, accusing him of exaggerated claims, misrepresented posts and other similar behavior as he helped kick off a market frenzy over GameStop’s shares, reportedly earning millions in the process.
Gill, whom The New York Times notes is a registered securities broker, goes by DeepFuckingValue on Reddit, and runs the Roaring Kitty YouTube channel.
Purr-fection
Speaking of kitties, Gill called in to the virtual hearing with a cat poster on the wall behind him. He began his testimony by referencing the now-infamous goof where a lawyer wore a cat filter during a Zoom meeting, saying in his opening statement, “A few things I am not … I am not a cat.”
The cat angle will always make for furr-ocious internet humor. Many saw a coded message in the poster of the dangling cat with its wording urging, “Hang in there,” seeing it as a message to those holding GameStop stock.
“Cat poster in the back is legendary,” one tweet read.
“Hang in there”
Subtle messaging intended for his #GME pirates.— X Æ A-12 Cov-19 (@k0ol1) February 18, 2021
And he started with “I am not a cat”.
— Tyler David (@tedavid93) February 18, 2021
Gaming the system?
Others noticed Gill appeared to be seated in a chair made specifically for video gaming, using a microphone of the sort preferred by those who broadcast livestreams.
“Finally, gamer chairs get their day in Congress,” one Twitter user wrote.
Impossible to know for sure, but I believe Keith Gill AKA deepfuckingvalue is the first person to testify before conference in a gamer chair pic.twitter.com/eCLAns31zu
— quibi bridgers (@bryanmenegus) February 18, 2021
It’s so damn fitting that the random GameStop investor they brought for this hearing is sitting in a gamer chair, using a streamer mic, and has a little cat poster in the background that says “Hang in there.”
He knows his role here is to be a meme, and he nailed it. pic.twitter.com/k0Qnu39M4G
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) February 18, 2021
Chair-man of the board
Naturally, some people even dug deeper, specifically identifying the chair in question.
“Looks to be a SecretLab Omega but I can’t say if it’s the standard one or the ridiculous Game of Thrones variant,” wrote one Twitter user.
(looks to be a SecretLab Omega but I can’t say if it’s the standard one or the ridiculous Game of Thrones variant)
— quibi bridgers (@bryanmenegus) February 18, 2021
It’s the Lannister chair and I have it and it’s dope thank you good day sir
— Haey (@KevAHaey) February 18, 2021
Twins?
Some Twitter users thought Gill and Robinhood Chief Executive Vlad Tenev could be twins. “Sorry, these are clearly the same person,” one Twitter user wrote. Another pulled out the meme showing two Spider-Man figures pointing at each other in recognition.
It’s like an SNL skit. I can almost see him rushing between rooms while swapping ties and blazers.
— Todd Campbell (@ebcapital) February 18, 2021
Their donor parents are Keanu Reeves and Lou Diamond Phillips
— iterate stardust collective (@matt_sutliff) February 18, 2021
The hearing is ongoing. Here’s how to follow along.
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