Private Equity and the Future of American Capitalism

Private equity is reshaping the economy. Megan Greenwell examines how it works, its trade-offs, and impacts on firms, workers, communities.

Join the Corporations and Society Initiative (CASI) for a conversation with Megan Greenwell, author of Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream, on how the private equity model operates in practice and what its growth means for businesses, workers, and communities.

Private equity plays a central role in shaping the structure of the U.S. economy and is a common destination for business school graduates. Greenwell's narrative nonfiction approach spotlights the people whose lives are affected by private equity ownership.

This discussion will explore what's at stake in private equity deals, where it may harm customers, patients, and communities, and what those trade-offs imply for governance and accountability. It will also invite students to reflect on their own future roles as investors, operators, and decision-makers in systems with trade-offs between financial success and social responsibility.