PE Ruined This

Private equity firms buy companies using a lot of borrowed money, “optimize” them (read: cut costs), and sell them for a profit. Sometimes this works out. Often, it doesn’t — at least not for customers, employees, or the communities these businesses serve.

This site tracks consumer-facing brands that have been acquired by private equity, so you can know who’s really behind your favorite restaurant, gym, or retailer — and what might have changed since they took over.