MoneyLion's maniacal mission of rewiring finance with Dee Choubey

Welcome to another episode of The Tearsheet Podcast, where we explore financial services together with an eye on technology, innovation, emerging models, and changing expectations. I’m Tearsheet’s editor in chief, Zack Miller. Today, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Dee Choubey, CEO of MoneyLion. In our chat, Dee takes us on a journey through MoneyLion's evolution, from its early days as a venture-backed neobank to its current position as a headline fintech stock. With a blend of insight and humor, he shares the company's shift from a growth-at-all-costs mindset to a more sustainable position focused on distribution, strategy, and morale. Through market ups and downs, Dee underscores the vital role of staying mission-driven and the focused dedication of MoneyLion's team to empower Americans with better financial tools and literacy. Looking ahead, Dee paints a vibrant picture of MoneyLion's future, where AI-driven search capabilities impact how consumers interact with their finances. MoneyLion isn’t the same company it was when I spoke with Dee almost 5 years ago. Since then, the firm has acquired two businesses which now function as an embedded banking product platform and an influencer content studio. With a comprehensive product catalog, a dynamic consumer marketplace, and trendy media business capabilities, MoneyLion is poised to lead a charge in reshaping the future of finance. So buckle up for an enlightening and entertaining conversation as we explore the past, present, and future of MoneyLion with the ever-insightful CEO, Dee Choubey. The big ideas Shift from Growth-At-All-Costs to Sustainable Strategy: "In 2019, we were a venture-backed, serious business. The expectation was continued growth of 100 to 150%. Keep burning. Don't worry about the burn." Maniacal Obsession with Mission: "What got us through it was a maniacal obsession with mission. Our mission is to rewire the financial system, to give every American the right tools to make the best financial decisions." AI-Driven Financial Search Capability: "Our search capability, AI-driven search across all of your financial institutions, you can talk to MoneyLion very soon and say, 'Hey, what happened this day, last year? This day, two years ago?'" Empowering Americans with Financial Literacy: "Our ability to actually offer at scale, consumers the right financial basket, I think we're probably further ahead on that than most because we have the consumer in the marketplace." Focus on Distribution, Strategy, and Morale: "My role has moved from being much more tactical and execution-oriented to much more focused on distribution, strategy, and morale, kind of like the vision and the mission." Staying Mission-Driven Amid Market Volatility: "It's always better to multiply your options by a larger number than a lower number. We've had our days. At one point, the market cap had fallen below $100 million. But it's just owning your destiny."