Listen "AA219 - How Private Equity Killed Instant Pot (And Why Your Product Could Be Next)"
Episode Synopsis
Instant Pot had $300M+ revenue, passionate users, and $100M cash on hand. So why did they file for bankruptcy? The answer lies in the pattern of how private equity systematically destroys beloved products through financial engineering! In this podcast, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel examine the acquisition of Instant Brands and discuss how leveraged buyouts, special dividends, and debt loading likely turned a kitchen innovation success story into a cautionary tale for every product team. Watch or listen to learn: • Real reasons successful products fail under PE ownership • Why "professional management" really means cutting the people who built the product• How debt servicing kills innovation budgets• The one question every product manager should ask their CFO • Why product-led growth can't survive private equity's playbook This isn't just about Instant Pot - it's about protecting the products and teams you care about from becoming the next casualty of financial engineering.#ProductManagement #PrivateEquity #InstantPotReferences:New Lawsuit Accuses Private Equity Company of Plundering Assets of Instant Brands; Michael Wolf, Nov 2024; https://thespoon.tech/new-lawsuit-accuses-private-equity-company-of-plundering-assets-of-instant-brands/Arguing Agile #61: AA61 - Experiences in Corporate Buyouts (Mergers & Acquisitions)Arguing Agile #96: AA96 - Stages of Company Decline, or When Companies Hate Their CustomersTags#ProductManagement #InstantPot #ArguingAgileLINKSYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagileSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596Website: http://arguingagile.com= = = = = = = = = = = =Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.