Private equity’s experiment with worker ownership

Private equity earned a reputation as a ruthless and lucrative business. But over the past few years, large groups have been doing something that seems like the opposite of their cutthroat image: giving equity worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to the ordinary workers at the companies they own. Antoine Gara, the FT’s US private & institutional capital correspondent, explains how these payouts make business sense for private equity firms – and help soften their tough image.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further reading:Workers getting share in windfalls as private equity firms soften imagePrivate equity groups’ assets struggling under hefty debt loads, Moody’s saysBlackstone plans to list some of its largest investments - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - On X, follow Antoine Gara (@antoinegara) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.