How PayPal Went from Wall Street Darling to Unwilling Takeover Target

How PayPal Went from Wall Street Darling to Unwilling Takeover Target

Author: MyWallSt July 23, 2026 Duration: 39:19

At MyWallSt, we believe great investing is about patience, discipline, and owning outstanding businesses. Our team researches global stocks, publishes transparent performance, and helps investors build long-term wealth without hype or guesswork. Horizon is our long-term buy-and-hold service, while Prophet is a five-minutes-a-month system that has trounced the average market returns over 17 years.


Stock Club Episode 321

PayPal was once worth $360 billion. This week Stripe and private equity firm Advent International put in a joint bid of $53 billion to take it private, a 90% drop from its all time high. We break down how PayPal built the original railroad of the internet, why it sat still while the world moved around it, and what Stripe's move tells us about where the payments industry is heading next.

Plus: a Chinese AI model is now claiming to outperform the American giants and what the US government is likely to do about it.

SpaceX's lockup period and what investors should do right now.

Prophet rebalanced last Friday selling four stocks including Howmet Aerospace (NYSE:HWM) for a 130% gain, and adding four new ones including Moog Inc (NYSE:MOG.A).


Investicon is coming to Dublin on August 27th, the greatest concentration of legendary investors anywhere in the world. Email brian@mywallst.com for tickets and discount codes.

Stocks & Companies Mentioned

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL)

Stripe: Private

Advent International : Private equity

Block (NYSE:SQ)

SpaceX (Nasdaq: SPCX)

Howmet Aerospace (NYSE:HWM)

Moog Inc (NYSE:MOG.A)

Emcor Group (NYSE:EME)

Powell Industries (NASDAQ:POWL)

Invedere: Private

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN)

Worldpay: Private

Nuvei (NASDAQ:NVEI)

Payoneer (NASDAQ:PAYO)

Mastercard (NYSE:MA)

Revolut: Private

Affirm (NASDAQ:AFRM)

Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR)

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)

LinkedIn — private (Microsoft owned)

AI Models Referenced:

OpenAI

Anthropic

Kimi (Moonshot AI)

Links Mentioned:

Investicon Dublin (Aug 27): email brian@mywallst.com or visit investorcon.ie

Get Prophet deal: email Frank@mywallst.com


Each week on Stock Club, the team from MyWallSt gathers to break down the movements and ideas shaping the market. This isn't about hype or frantic trading tips; it's a grounded conversation focused on understanding how investing actually works. You'll hear them analyze specific stock news and discuss the strategies behind building lasting wealth, all with the aim of making you a more thoughtful and confident investor. The discussion in this podcast naturally evolves from the week's most significant events, offering clarity on complex financial stories without relying on jargon. Tuning in feels like being part of a straightforward, informed discussion where the priority is long-term perspective over short-term noise. For anyone looking to deepen their grasp of the business and investing landscape, Stock Club provides a consistent, reliable space to learn. It’s the regular check-in that helps demystify the market's shifts, emphasizing education and insight as the true foundations for success. You can find Stock Club wherever you listen to podcasts.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Stock Club
Podcast Episodes
#298: What Software Stocks Should You Buy on the Dip? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:45
Salesforce, Workday, HubSpot, Atlassian, ServiceNow, Adobe, and more are all down in the dumps.Is the age of B2B software supremacy at an end?Long favored for their revenue growth and strong margin profiles, many of thes…
#297: What Stocks to Buy During the AI Bubble (w/ Porter Stansberry) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:44
This week, Emmet is joined by a legend in financial publishing, Porter Stansberry. Porter is a master at recognizing and managing financial risk—and educating the public along the way. He even delivered positive returns…
#295: Even Bolder Stock Buys for 2026!? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:49
If you thought last week was a treat, Mike and Emmet are here to double your luck. They bring you six more stocks to fill out your portfolio across different tastes and risk factors. Check in with your needs and add to y…
#294: Our Boldest Stock Buys for 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:19
For investors looking to refresh their portfolios heading into the new year, we’ve got a list of stocks hot off the presses. Mike and Emmet unpack:A stock they love with a market cap under $1 billionA favorite European s…
#293: What Stocks to Watch in 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:32
This week, Mike and Emmet take a step back to discuss the broader market landscape heading into 2026 and what industries they’re watching.2025 was a pretty spectacular year for the S&P so its normal to feel the party can…
#292: The Best Stocks According to Wall Street Greats [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:47
In celebration of the New Year, Mike brings you a recap of our favorite interviews from 2025. More importantly for investors looking for an edge, we share some of the top stock picks from Wall Street’s greatest investors…
#291: The Biggest Investing Stories and Stocks of 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:19
As the year winds down, Emmet and Mike look back on their favorite investing stories, stocks, and turkeys from 2025.Mike touches on the obvious: AI and the “pick-and-shovel” plays that have ridden its wave. Chipmakers an…
#290: A Secret AI Stock to Buy Right Now? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:41
Mike and Emmet are back and sharing their latest thoughts on the race to secure Warner Bros. Discovery. Despite a seemingly successful bid from Netflix to the tune of $82.7 billion, Paramount and its backers, David Ellis…
#289: The Best Performing Stock in the S&P 500 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:00
The Magnificent Seven get all the love and attention, but it turns out 2025 is the year of hard drives. Western Digital (WDC) and its recent spinoff, Sandisk, are the best-performing stocks on the S&P 500.After boosting…