Martin Shkreli was born on January 4, 1983, in Brooklyn, New York to Albanian and Croatian immigrants. He grew up in a modest household with two sisters and a brother. Despite his humble beginnings, Shkreli showed a keen interest in business from a young age.
Shkreli attended Hunter College High School, where he excelled academically. At the age of 17, he started interning for Cramer Berkowitz & Co., a hedge fund company. His early exposure to the world of finance fueled his ambition, and he went on to graduate from Baruch College in 2004.
After college, Shkreli wasted no time in pursuing his entrepreneurial dreams. He founded MSMB Capital Management, a hedge fund company that quickly gained attention in the financial world. In 2011, he founded Retrophin LLC, a biopharmaceutical company that focused on developing drugs for rare diseases.
Despite his success in the business world, Martin Shkreli found himself embroiled in numerous controversies. In late 2015, he was arrested on charges of securities fraud related to his time as CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals. The decision to raise the price of Daraprim, a drug listed as an essential medicine by the World Health Organization, sparked outrage and condemnation from the public and politicians alike.
Despite his professional setbacks, Martin Shkreli remains a polarizing figure in the business world. His purchase of the one-of-a-kind Wu Tang Clan album, "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin," further solidified his reputation as a controversial and enigmatic figure.
Many prominent figures, including Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump, publicly criticized Martin Shkreli for his actions regarding the price increase of Daraprim. The incident served as a stark reminder of the impact business decisions can have on society at large.
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