Ryan Cohen struggles to explain funding for eBay takeover

Financial markets were left reeling Monday after GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen appeared on CNBC’s "Squawk Box" to defend a surprise $55.5 billion offer for e-commerce giant eBay.

The discussion lasting for about 16 minutes turned into a sequence of dodging tactics due to one apparent mistake, namely that GameStop’s current market capitalisation is estimated at only $11.9 billion, meaning a considerable deficit in the suggested offer.

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Cohen's Sunday proposal contains an acquisition plan which values all eBay common stock at $125 per share. The structure consists of a 50% cash and 50% stock split.

GameStop received a "highly confident" letter from TD Securities which backed their request for $20 billion financing, but Andrew Ross Sorkin, who co-anchored the show, revealed that the company could not achieve its required total despite having $9.4 billion in cash.

Cohen kept sending anchors to the official website of his company instead of giving financial explanations, which resulted in the interview reaching a deadlock. Cohen failed to comprehend the inquiry when Becky Quick asked him about the specific source of the remaining $16 to $20 billion needed to complete the transaction.

The studio audience reacted with laughter after they noticed the missing information, which created doubt about the bid's ability to succeed.

The panel members started defending their position after they asked about the practical ability of GameStop and eBay to compete against Amazon's logistics network. Cohen switched his focus to show how media outlets had incorrectly forecasted GameStop's impending bankruptcy, yet the company now operates beyond its expected limits.

He failed to deliver any specific plan that would show how the two different retail systems would function together and compete against existing technology companies.