The Closer

The inside story of the deals that changed the world, as told by the people who know how it all went down. The Closer, out now.

For ad-free listening and exclusive bonus episodes with our Closers, subscribe to Project Brazen’s channel on the Apple Podcasts app. You can try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/thecloser

Landmark deals can change everything. They can transform how we live. They can alter the course of the economy. The Closer asks: Who made these deals, and why?

Hosted by Aimee Keane, an award-winning financial journalist, each episode features a deal that made an impact on our lives, and hears from the people who know the inside story of those deals.

This show has a thesis: deals are not only the emotional center of the business world, but the building blocks of the world around us. Behind every one of them are tales of failure, betrayal, high stakes, risks – and especially, big personalities. Basically, everything you’d want in a good drama.

From Project Brazen and PRX, this is The Closer, out now.

The 2013 merger between American Airlines and US Airways created the world’s largest airline. But it also marked the ascent of one of the American labor movement’s most visible faces.

For ad-free listening and exclusive bonus episodes with our Closers, subscribe to Project Brazen’s channel on the Apple Podcasts app. You can try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/thecloser

To sign up for The Closer newsletter and to read more from our team, go to TheCloser.FM.

WeWork’s failed IPO was a stunning failure that played out in daily – at times, hourly – headlines around the world. But before that disaster there was another deal that fell through in private, putting WeWork and its founder Adam Neumann on course for eventual public humiliation. This is the story of Project Fortitude.

For ad-free listening and exclusive bonus episodes with our Closers, subscribe to Project Brazen’s channel on the Apple Podcasts app. You can try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/thecloser

To sign up for The Closer newsletter and to read more from our team, go to TheCloser.FM.

An exec at the center of Whatsapp’s $19 billion sale explains how the deal finally came together and the dispiriting conflict that roiled the companies after the deal closed. We go inside the story of Facebook’s biggest acquisition.

Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod.

For ad-free listening and exclusive bonus episodes with our Closers, subscribe to Project Brazen’s channel on the Apple Podcasts app. You can try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/thecloser

To sign up for The Closer newsletter and to read more from our team, go to TheCloser.FM.

A scrappy startup wanted to help people sort their medications, and in the process took on some of the titans of Big Pharma, and won. But that success made it a target for a tech behemoth obsessed with new customers – Amazon.

For ad-free listening and exclusive bonus episodes with our Closers, subscribe to Project Brazen’s channel on the Apple Podcasts app. You can try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/thecloser

To sign up for The Closer newsletter and to read more from our team, go to TheCloser.FM.

When Brazilian private investment firm 3G took over Kraft and Heinz, they thought they had a perfect plan. The Closer digs into where it went wrong and who got hurt. It’s the story of Ketchup, the evolution of capitalism and the limits of any single successful business strategy.

For ad-free listening and exclusive bonus episodes with our Closers, subscribe to Project Brazen’s channel on the Apple Podcasts app. You can try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/thecloser

To sign up for The Closer newsletter and to read more from our team, go to TheCloser.FM.

David Bowie: ground-breaking musician; artistic shape-shifter; style icon; and … savvy financial player? We dive into “Bowie Bonds” with the man who created them and unpack their impact on the music business.

For ad-free listening and exclusive bonus episodes with our Closers, subscribe to Project Brazen’s channel on the Apple Podcasts app. You can try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/thecloser

To sign up for The Closer newsletter and to read more from our team, go to TheCloser.FM.

Financial Times journalist Tabby Kinder was one of the first to report on weaknesses at Silicon Valley Bank. In this episode of The Closer, she breaks down the bank’s swift collapse and tells us what it’s been like covering the story as it unfolds. Read Tabby’s reporting at ft.com/tabby-kinder

For more from The Closer, visit TheCloser.FM.

JP Morgan Chase thought it owned 54 metric tonnes of nickel, the most highly valued base metal. The bank had reason to believe this nickel was stored in bags at a warehouse in Rotterdam. It turns out these bags are, instead, full of stones. Ben and Aimee discuss the case of JP Morgan’s missing nickel and how this story is just the latest drama in the nickel trade.

Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod.

For more from The Closer, visit TheCloser.FM.

Shares in Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba jumped this week after founder Jack Ma made a rare visit to mainland China, and the company announced plans to break itself into six business units. Ben and Aimee discuss the latest in the tense relationship between Chinese authorities and the country’s tech sector.

Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod.

For more from The Closer, visit TheCloser.FM.

Two of the biggest names in fighting, WWE and Endeavor’s UFC, are coming together to form a new, publicly traded entity. It’s a tie-up of larger-than-life personalities in the ring (or octagon) and in the boardroom. Ben and Aimee discuss the roles of three executives at the heart of the deal – Ari Emanuel, Vince McMahon and Dana White – and the potential implications of the merger.

Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod.

For more from The Closer, visit TheCloser.FM.

This week, we’re looking at a deal one of our listeners on Twitter asked us to cover. It’s JetBlue’s $3.8bn takeover of discount carrier Spirit Airlines. The deal was approved by Spirit shareholders last fall, but US authorities have sued to block it on antitrust grounds. Ben and Aimee cover how the deal came together, the regulatory concerns, as well as how the deal fits into the bigger picture of consolidation in the industry in the last two decades. For a longer look at the state of consolidation in the airline industry, check out episode 1 of The Closer, The Deal That Made The World’s Biggest Airline.

Is there a deal you’d like Aimee and Ben to take a deeper look at? Tweet us at @thecloserpod.

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Alongside the release of Netflix’s quarterly earnings, the streaming service announced two big pieces of news this week. One, that it would be ending its DVD mailing business, and two, that it would be delaying a crackdown on password sharing in the US. Ben and Aimee discuss the past, present, and future of Netflix’s growth ambitions.

Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod.

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Bed Bath & Beyond’s decline and fall is complete. The iconic home goods retailer said this week that it was entering bankruptcy and that all of its stores would be shuttered by the end of June. Ben and Aimee discuss Bed Bath & Beyond’s collapse, diving into stock sales, failed turnarounds, share buybacks, meme stocks and yes, those iconic blue and white coupons.

Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod.

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The financial press has been reporting on a big trend in dealmaking: it’s way down this year, especially in comparison to the M&A activity of 2021. Aimee and Ben discuss the winners and losers of this new environment, and what it might mean for the types of deals to expect in the months to come.

Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod.

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The Oakland A’s are one step closer to a move to Las Vegas, reaching a deal this week for a new plot of land that would house a brand new ballpark. Aimee and Ben discuss the developing deal and what it tells us about the state of the business of professional sports.

Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod.

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Hundreds of thousands of Japanese companies have a problem – their founders are aging without a successor in sight. One entrepreneur has built his $1.3 billion fortune on a solution.

Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod.

www.thecloser.fm

The US Women’s National Soccer Team is among the most decorated teams in the game but, until recently, was paid a fraction of what the men took home. When the players decided to take up the fight for equal pay, they turned to sports attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who built a career out of representing some of the most high-profile athletes in labor disputes with professional leagues. He takes us inside the team’s strategy and reveals how they got the deal done.

Want more from The Closer? Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts to unlock new episodes before everyone else, as well ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content. To subscribe, visit apple.co/thecloser or sign up on The Closer’s show page in the Apple Podcasts app. Plus, enjoy a 14-day free trial for new subscribers.

We take you inside the final days of Toys R Us with Lauren Hirsch, the reporter who first revealed the iconic company’s impending bankruptcy, and explain what drove the company out of business.

Want more from The Closer? Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts to unlock new episodes before everyone else, as well ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content. Plus, if you subscribe in the next two weeks, get 20% off the annual subscription price. Sign up on The Closer show page in the Apple Podcasts app.

When private equity-backed PetSmart bought Chewy.com for more than $3bn in 2017, people thought the retailer was doomed. Within just a few years, though, it was one of the most successful private equity turnarounds in history thanks to an executive who stuck to his guns. Reporter Miriam Gottfried takes us inside the transformation.

Want more from The Closer? Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts to unlock new episodes before everyone else, as well ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content. Plus, if you subscribe in the next two weeks, get 20% off the annual subscription price. Sign up on The Closer show page in the Apple Podcasts app.