Rewind: How private equity kills companies and communities

Hey everyone, it’s Nilay. We’re settling back in here after the winter break and CES, and we’ll have new episodes for you starting next Monday. In the meantime, we wanted to highlight one of our favorites from last year: an interview with journalist and author Megan Greenwell about her book Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream.

My conversation with Megan last year was extremely illuminating as to why private equity does what it does to industries like healthcare, media and real estate — and just how deeply it's affecting the everyday lives of Americans everywhere. It's a really great conversation that feels just as timely today as it did last summer. Enjoy.

Links:

Bad Company | HarperCollins

How private equity kills companies and communities | Decoder

Private equity bought out your doctor and bankrupted Toys ‘R’ Us | Decoder

Private equity makes its first college sports play | Axios

Private equity Is gutting America — and getting away with it | NYT

I was fired from Deadspin for refusing to ‘stick to sports’ | NYT

Will private equity be the next ‘Big Short’? | Marketplace

The profit-obsessed monster destroying American ERs | Vox

Why your vet bill is so high | The Atlantic

The investment firms leave behind a barren wasteland’ | Politico

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Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Decoder is produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and edited by Ursa Wright. Our editorial director is Kevin McShane.

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