Taleb's lecture "From Ponzi to Localism" angered, among others, Riad Salameh and Lebanese bankers.

Judged as of 2019-12-30. True: contemporaneous reports or statements show that Riad Salameh (then governor of Lebanon's central bank) and Lebanese bankers or banking bodies (e.g. the Association of Banks in Lebanon) reacted with anger or hostility to Taleb's lecture 'From Ponzi to Localism', or to the views he gave in it, for example through public rebuttals, criticism or complaints. Mostly true: there is a clear hostile reaction from one of the two (Salameh or the bankers), and only weaker or indirect signs of a reaction from the other. Mixed: one of the two clearly reacted with hostility and there is no evidence about the other. Mostly false: the only reactions are mild or generic disagreement, or were aimed at Taleb's other statements and not at the lecture. False: evidence shows that neither Salameh nor the bankers reacted negatively, or that they welcomed the lecture.

Set before the research began.

1. E1 Taleb the Philosopher | Firstthings.com blackswanreport.com (a third-party blog that reproduces Taleb's tweets) · 30 December 2019 Own record

   “After my USJ talk on #RiadPonzi & Localism a few “economists” went on MTV to explain I was nonsensical & “arrogant”, it was not a Ponzi, Lebanon is different, etc.”

2. E2 Taleb the Philosopher | Firstthings.com blackswanreport.com (a third-party blog that reproduces Taleb's tweets) · 30 December 2019 Own record

   “The Lebanese are still shocked by my “in your face” blunt, totally unapologetic, uncompromising, no-BS, “he’s incompetent”/”you’re an idiot” approach, esp when I address IYI “specialists” I threw someone w/unsollicited advice “diplomacy is more effective” out of my house.”

3. E3 Taleb the Philosopher | Firstthings.com blackswanreport.com (repost of Taleb's Twitter posts) · 23 November 2019 Own record

   “After my USJ talk on #RiadPonzi & Localism a few “economists” went on MTV to explain I was nonsensical & “arrogant”, it was not a Ponzi, Lebanon is different, etc.”

4. E4 Taleb the Philosopher | Firstthings.com blackswanreport.com (repost of Taleb's Twitter posts) · 1 December 2019 Own record

   “Signs both #RiadPonzi & Bankers Assoc. hired 2 PR firms to whitewash their image/smear critics including @dan_azz, @Nasser_Saidi.”

5. E5 Taleb the Philosopher | Firstthings.com blackswanreport.com (repost of Taleb's Twitter posts) · 18 November 2019 Own record

   “The Lebanese are still shocked by my “in your face” blunt, totally unapologetic, uncompromising, no-BS, “he’s incompetent”/”you’re an idiot” approach, esp when I address IYI “specialists””

6. E6 Is Lebanon’s central bank governor to blame for fuel shortages? Al Jazeera · 15 November 2019

   “In response, the Banque du Liban’s legal department said its operations were in conformity with the law as set out in the 1963 Code of Money and Credit.”

7. E7 Is Lebanon’s central bank governor to blame for fuel shortages? Al Jazeera · 15 November 2019

   “The charge has been echoed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a Lebanese-American and a professor of risk engineering at New York University.”

8. E8 نسيم طالب في اليسوعية محاضرًا عن لبنان: من بونزي إلى النزعة المحليّة Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth (USJ)

   “استضافت جامعة القدّيس يوسف في بيروت المفكّر والباحث العالمي نسيم نقولا طالب في الخامس عشر من نوفمبر، أوديتوريوم فرنسوا باسيل حرم الابتكار والرياضة، حيث ألقى محاضرة بعنوان "لبنان: من بونزي إلى النزعة المحليّة".”

The only evidence that anyone reacted to the lecture comes from Taleb's own tweets, reposted on a third-party blog. E1 and E3 say unnamed "economists" criticised him on MTV, and E4 alleges, without documentation and without linking it to the lecture, that Salameh and the bankers' association hired PR firms. The independent Al Jazeera report (E6, E7) shows that the Banque du Liban's legal department answered the general "Ponzi" charge, but it does not connect that response to Taleb's lecture. The USJ write-up (E8) confirms the lecture took place and records no reaction from Salameh or the banks, so the claim cannot be confirmed or refuted from this evidence.