Lucas Asher says in a YouTube video that he’s an investor in tech world darlings like Spotify and Palantir. He’s founded a few startups of his own, including a music-sharing app called Revo. He admires Silicon Valley visionary billionaires like SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
But he’s also the force behind a very different kind of company, Metals.com, according to former business associates, court documents, and internal company communications. Those sources say Metals.com is a boiler-room-style operation, akin to the one depicted in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, about one of the 1990s’ most infamous scammers, Jordan Belfort. The Beverly Hills-based Metals.com sells overpriced gold and silver coins to seniors, using a high-pressure pitch about impending economic doom. It’s an old-school scheme, bolstered by 21st-century methods: an elaborate system of Facebook ads that baited conservative retirees.
Asher is one of the two principals of Metals.com. The other is CEO Simon Batashvili, but he’s more of a family guy focused on the business side of the operation, say former business associates. (Batashvili did not respond to a request for comment.)
Asher is a different story, according to his social media accounts, interviews, and internal messages and videos reviewed by Quartz. He’s an indie rock musician and a philosophizing, verified Instagrammer—alongside his day job leading Metals.com’s team of salespeople.
Read more about the new Wolf of Wall Street on the Quartz.com website HERE
