Definitely. No company has ever overpaid for another company. No fraud or FOMO-d...

solarkraft · 2026-01-23T11:22:18 1769167338

Your statement is true on average because the world’s economy is continuing to function.

komali2 · 2026-01-24T15:51:42 1769269902

> Your statement is true on average because the world’s economy is continuing to function.

The entire field of economics depends on post ipso facto statements like this.

shafyy · 2026-01-23T12:47:37 1769172457

"functioning" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here

pinnochio · 2026-01-23T11:25:34 1769167534

Oh wow, I don't even know where to begin with that.

Like, the world economy can't continue to function even if acquisitions were only 80% value creation on average? Or does the entire world economy depend on companies acquiring other companies with 100% value creation on average, such that it continuing to function logically implies 100% average value creation?

re-thc · 2026-01-23T15:58:44 1769183924

> can't continue to function even if acquisitions were only 80% value creation on average

The number is much much lower than that. Most acquisitions fail or don't have much impact.

qeternity · 2026-01-23T21:01:57 1769202117

Definitely. And some random guy on HN knows the value of Brex to Capital One better than Capital One does.

Brex can be worth $5b today and also be worth less in the future. These two realities don’t conflict. Acquisitions can and do end poorly. But the vast majority work well. I am not sure what you don’t understand about that?