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I started looking into private equity because I kept hearing two different answers. One was that it rescues companies and creates jobs. The other was that it takes the money out and leaves the company with obligations it cannot survive. I wanted to look at the deals and understand what was actually happening.
The part I kept coming back to was that there are three different pockets: the firm running the fund, the investors putting money into it, and the company being bought. Money landing in one of those pockets does not tell you how the other two are doing.
In this episode of The Observation Room, I look at Hilton, Dollar General, Claire’s, and several other businesses. I explain the borrowing, the sale of buildings that the business then has to rent back, and the dividends that can be paid with borrowed money. The question is how those decisions change what the company can afford to do next.
I have no problem with an owner making money. What I want to understand is what they are getting paid for, who still owes the bill, and how much room the business has when something goes wrong.
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If you have worked at a company that was bought, I would like to hear what changed and how long it took before you noticed. You can bring that conversation into the community without sharing anything confidential about your employer.
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Michelle