From YOLOing GameStop to Running JetBlue? Meet the WSB Reddit Trader Eyeing a Board Seat

Last week, JetBlue soared 8% in one day after it raised its third-quarter revenue guidance. With a market cap of $1.84 billion, you’d think that would be the story, right? Wrong. The real drama is who’s now sitting in JetBlue’s first class: enter Vladimir and Angelica Galkin, a power couple with a backstory that is going to give us all hope.

Meet Vladimir and Angelica Galkin, the husband-and-wife duo who are now proud owners of 10% of JetBlue’s stock, making them the third-largest shareholders. 

That’s right—just behind Wall Street giants BlackRock and Vanguard. But let’s not bury the lead here: Vladimir isn’t your run-of-the-mill investor. He’s the guy who once YOLO’d 80% of his net worth into GameStop (GME) during the infamous meme stock rally. If you don’t think that’s hero material, I don’t know what is.

Yeah, Vladimir rode GameStop’s 1,600% surge like a kid on the world's most dangerous roller coaster—and he walked away with a fortune. Now, he’s set his sights on JetBlue, an airline that’s been more turbulent than Spirit Airlines if that tells you anything about the situation.

Vladimir’s $132 million stake in JetBlue didn’t come by accident either. According to filings, he’s been quietly scooping up shares since January when JetBlue stock was hanging out around $5—down from its pre-pandemic high of over $20. Talk about buying the dip. 

Now, with an 8.1% stake (which has since grown to 10%), the Galkins are looking to play a long-term game, even hinting at possible board representation. That’s right—our former meme-stock maverick is eyeing a seat at JetBlue’s executive table. Imagine going from slinging GameStop shares to steering a major airline. Wild, right?

Meanwhile, JetBlue’s had a year that can only be described as a mess. They had to scrap their $3.8 billion Spirit Airlines merger after regulators decided it wasn’t exactly a match made in heaven. But while the airline’s been trying to pick up the pieces, Vladimir is betting big—meeting with JetBlue’s CEO Joanna Geraghty and positioning himself to influence the company’s next moves. No official board seat yet, but it’s clear he’s got plans.

And maybe he’s onto something. JetBlue just raised its revenue forecast for Q3, thanks to a summer travel surge, lower fuel prices, and some smart cost-cutting. TD Cowen even raised its price target for the stock to $6. Sure, JetBlue hasn’t posted a profit since 2020, but apparently, that’s just a minor detail in the Galkins’ playbook.

So what’s next for JetBlue? Well, if Vladimir’s track record tells us anything, we’re one Reddit thread away from JetBlue either skyrocketing or turning into the next meme stock dumpster fire. Either way, it’s going to be entertaining. Just think about it: the guy who cashed in on GameStop, chilling on his yacht, telling JetBlue’s Harvard-educated CEO how to run things. “Sure, you’ve got a degree, but have you ever bet your life savings on a meme stock and come out rich?” If that isn’t the vibe of 2024, nothing is. 

But, but, but…

While JetBlue’s execs are about to get life advice from a guy who YOLO’d his net worth into GameStop, our Stocks.News alert on Wednesday blasted to a +162.08% gain in under 24 hours. And yep, we called it. While they’re figuring out whether a meme-stock legend should be running an airline, our premium members were too busy laughing all the way to the bank with those gains. Oh, and this is our fifth triple-digit winner in a row. We’re basically on fire.

So, why sit around watching JetBlue’s power struggle when Stocks.News premium members are out here printing money week after week?

Do the math—if you’re feeling the vibe, upgrade to Stocks.News premium before the next alert drops. It's primed to be another winner, no doubt.

Until next time, stay sharp and keep racking up those gains!

Stock.News has positions in Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares.