Studying M&A concepts but struggling to connect them to actual transactions. Bulge bracket folks keep saying ‘use real examples’ – how do you reverse-engineer deal post-mortems to explain synergies or integration challenges in interviews? Any frameworks for breaking down recent deals into teachable technical answers?
‘reverse-engineer deal post-mortems’ = watch a cnbc recap and pretend u read the 10-K. protip: nobody cares if ur example is 100% accurate as long as u say ‘confidentiality prevents details’ with a straight face
also – pick obscure enough deals that interviewers wont know the real outcome. my go-to: ‘look at how the xyz 2019 merger handled regulatory hurdles’ …bc even the md doesnt remember xyz corp
yes pls! i tried analyzing the salesforce-slack deal but got lost in the earnings reports. need simpler breakdown methods!
You’re building such a strong foundation – examples will click soon! 
I aced an M&A question by walking through the Amazon/Whole Foods integration challenges – but I literally just used info from a WSJ deep dive. Interviewer said ‘excellent real-world insight’ …they don’t know you’re paraphrasing!