M&A STORIES - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

LOOKING BACK ON SOME OF THE MOST DISASTROUS M&A TRANSACTIONS

January 02, 2023 Robert Heaton & Toby Tester
LOOKING BACK ON SOME OF THE MOST DISASTROUS M&A TRANSACTIONS
M&A STORIES - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
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M&A STORIES - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
LOOKING BACK ON SOME OF THE MOST DISASTROUS M&A TRANSACTIONS
Jan 02, 2023
Robert Heaton & Toby Tester

Well, this podcast was recorded in late November 2022, but a quick hospital visit so Rob could undergo full knee replacement surgery meant that we didn't publish until early January 2023. Still, knee surgery was successful, so here goes.
 
And to help you navigate this episode, we refer to past episodes where we unpack some seriously disastrous M&A transactions, so if you want to know more about the detail of each of our 'top 5' then you'll find the links here

  1. Twitter 
  2. HP and Autonomy 
  3. Daimler Benz and Chrysler 
  4. Alcatant Lucent 
  5. Royal Bank of Scotland 

In past episodes, Rob and Toby walked through a number of disastrous M&A transactions and a number of common factors started to arise on why these transactions had been so catastrophic. In some cases, it was down to the massive ego of the CEO or Chairman who railroaded transactions through a compliant board. In others, the deal thesis appeared to be nothing more than an excited scribble on a table napkin and very little thereafter. Others came down to massive cultural challenges or the simple reality that the idea might have sounded good, but the market wasn't interested. And in some cases, it was a combination of several of those factors. Do you agree with our 'Top 5' or do you have other examples to offer? 

And if you want to delve more deeply into each disaster, you'll find that we dedicated an episode to each of our top 5 so simply look through our episode history to find out more.

Oh, I almost forgot. HAPPY NEW YEAR to our friends, colleagues and listeners around the globe. Here's hoping 2023 is a safe, healthy, and prosperous year for everyone and that your friends and family play a key role in every aspect of 2023.


Show Notes

Well, this podcast was recorded in late November 2022, but a quick hospital visit so Rob could undergo full knee replacement surgery meant that we didn't publish until early January 2023. Still, knee surgery was successful, so here goes.
 
And to help you navigate this episode, we refer to past episodes where we unpack some seriously disastrous M&A transactions, so if you want to know more about the detail of each of our 'top 5' then you'll find the links here

  1. Twitter 
  2. HP and Autonomy 
  3. Daimler Benz and Chrysler 
  4. Alcatant Lucent 
  5. Royal Bank of Scotland 

In past episodes, Rob and Toby walked through a number of disastrous M&A transactions and a number of common factors started to arise on why these transactions had been so catastrophic. In some cases, it was down to the massive ego of the CEO or Chairman who railroaded transactions through a compliant board. In others, the deal thesis appeared to be nothing more than an excited scribble on a table napkin and very little thereafter. Others came down to massive cultural challenges or the simple reality that the idea might have sounded good, but the market wasn't interested. And in some cases, it was a combination of several of those factors. Do you agree with our 'Top 5' or do you have other examples to offer? 

And if you want to delve more deeply into each disaster, you'll find that we dedicated an episode to each of our top 5 so simply look through our episode history to find out more.

Oh, I almost forgot. HAPPY NEW YEAR to our friends, colleagues and listeners around the globe. Here's hoping 2023 is a safe, healthy, and prosperous year for everyone and that your friends and family play a key role in every aspect of 2023.