The movie The Big Short was inspired by the true story of Michael J. Burry, the weird and slightly autistic hedge fund manager who shorted the mortgage bond market in 2007 (his role was played by Christian Bale). Indeed, after processing thousands of pages of data in his powerful, computer-like brain, Burry predicted the mortgage crash months before it actually happened. He also made tons of money off the situation by betting against the housing market – a move that was never seen before. The net result: He made $100 million for himself and $700 million for his investors.
Since then, Burry focused on private investing (mostly water, which he considers to be the commodity of the future) and remained steadily away from the spotlight. However, the massive panic and lockdown caused by...