Today, I’m breaking down a storyline about mergers and acquisitions from HBO's Succession. We'll unpack intense boardroom scenes, rate their accuracy, and extract valuable lessons for founders. Why? Because for successful startups, acquisition talks are inevitable. Let's dive in.

The scenes from Succession

• Celebration (Season 1, Episode 1)

• Vaulter (Season 2, Episode 2)

Episode timestamps

(00:00) Coming up on today’s episode

(00:15) Show intro

(00:31) Founder's objection to the deal terms

(01:53) What acquirers don’t do

(02:40) Unrealistic founder dialogue

(03:35) Negotiations shouldn’t be personal

(04:36) Pitching the acquisition to stakeholders

(05:40) Unexpected challenges post-acquisition

(06:52) Gutting the company post-acquisition

(08:41) Breaking promises

(09:38) The importance of empathy in layoffs

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Disclaimer Hiten Shah’s “The Hiten Show” episodes are provided for general information purposes only and do not constitute business, financial, or other professional advice. Audience members should not act upon the content or information found here without first seeking appropriate advice from an accountant, financial planner, lawyer, or other professional.