There’s a lot of mergers and acquisitions out there. Private Equity buying companies, smashing them together and selling them. The buyer repeats. And that buyer repeats. Until it’s all, on many dimensions, destroyed.
“Not a single company that qualified as having made a sustained transformation ignited is leap with a big acquisition or merger. Moreover, comparison companies – those that failed to make a leap or, if they did, failed to sustain it – often tried to make themselves great with a big… acquisition or merger. They failed to grasp the simple truth that while you can buy your way to growth, you cannot buy your way to greatness.” – Jim Collins
“Success is never owned, it is rented, and the rent is due every day.”
I’ve worked for big (publicly traded) and small companies. Both tried to buy their way to growth and it did not work both times. And the big company had really smart executives, and it still didn’t work. Thanks for your insights – very true words.