GameStop fires CEO, names Ryan Cohen exec chair

GameStop on Wednesday fired CEO Matt Furlong, and named Ryan Cohen as executive chair.

Why it matters: GameStop is the retailer at the center of the 2020 meme stock madness, in which Cohen played a starring role.

• GameStop shares plummeted in aftermarket trading on the announcement, after a day in which they'd climbed nearly 6%.

Backstory: Cohen founded and led Chewy, the pet supplies e-commerce company, before becoming an activist investor who in mid-2020 disclosed around a 10% stake in GameStop.

• The following year he effectively assumed control of the company, installing Furlong as CEO and pledging to turn the company into an e-commerce giant.
• Now Cohen is basically shaking up his own shakeup, and slighting Furlong with a 42-word press release that doesn't even use Furlong's name.

Thought bubble, from Axios' Felix Salmon: "Furlong's stock award was concentrated in years 3 and 4. By terminating him now, Cohen is saving the company millions of dollars in CEO compensation costs."