Acquisition

  

What's the difference between mergers and acquisitions?

When two companies merge, they generally, uh…are attracted to each other…and hopefully respect each other. They share stock or combine the stocks of each side, and combine, um... efforts. And then cuddle afterwards. If they are successful at the merger, then the combination of two roughly equals yields more than the one-plus-one combo that made them. So two companies get together on generally equal-ish footing.

Acquisitions are a combining...like that alien-eating thing...on much different footing. The large company eats, or buys, the target, either using its more highly valued stock and/or cash to do so. Why would a company acquire another? Well, the target might have 100 employees, 90 of whom can be fired with massive expense savings for the acquirer, such that, economically, the acquisition just makes sense.

Acquisitions happen for market power reasons as well. Like…imagine the negotiating leverage if Amazon bought the next five biggest online retailers. Probably not legal, given the monopoly-like dominance of AMZN...but wow, that would be a powerful set of acquisitions. And Bezos would grow even more powerful. Maybe too powerful.

Related or Semi-related Video

Finance: What's the difference between m...22 Views

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Finance allah shmoop what's the difference between mergers and acquisitions

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all right people listen up Merger that's what's about to

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happen here it's a merger acquisition that's what's about to

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happen here Corporate america is kind of same thing when

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two companies merge while they generally you know attracted to

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each other hopefully respect each other they share stock or

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combined the stocks of each side and you know combine

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efforts and then and then cuddle afterwards if they're successful

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at the merger than the combination of two roughly equals

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yields more than the one plus one combo that made

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them so two companies get together on generally equal ish

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footing In that case acquisitions are a combining more like

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that eating thing on much different footing The large company

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eats or buys the target either using its more highly

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valued stock currency or it's taft to do so Well

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why would a company acquire another Well the target might

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have one hundred employees ninety of whom can be fired

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with massive expense savings after the acquisition For the acquirer

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such that economically the acquisition won't just makes a whole

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lot of financial sense acquisitions happen for market power reasons

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As well like imagine the negotiating leverage that amazon would

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have if it bought the next five biggest online retailers

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Or maybe it'll just kill them Probably not legal for

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them to buy him anyway given the monopoly like dominance

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of amazon these days But wow that would be a

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powerful set of acquisitions And that would be a good

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reason for ems on to acquire a whole bunch Things

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and bezos would grow even more powerful maybe too powerful

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