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American explains how a private equity firm acquired and destroyed Cold Stone Creamery He explains how now a single scoop of ice cream can cost as much as $20 with mix-ins Private equity ruins everything. They add absolutely no value and destroy every good business

Wall Street Apes

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472,040 views • 5 months ago •via X (Twitter)

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American went to Panera Bread and ordered a sandwich “This is what a f*cking $16 sandwich will get you at Panera” The average cost of a whole sandwich at Panera before they were bought by a private equity firm in 2017 was $7-8 Half sandwich ‘You pick 2’ used to only cost $5-$7 Panera Bread was acquired by JAB Holding Company, a private equity firm in a $7.5 billion deal Menu prices across Panera then rose dramatically by an average of 68% since the acquisition Private equity firms destroy everything

American went to Panera Bread and ordered a sandwich “This is what a f*cking $16 sandwich will get you at Panera” The average cost of a whole sandwich at Panera before they were bought by a private equity firm in 2017 was $7-8 Half sandwich ‘You pick 2’ used to only cost $5-$7 Panera Bread was acquired by JAB Holding Company, a private equity firm in a $7.5 billion deal Menu prices across Panera then rose dramatically by an average of 68% since the acquisition Private equity firms destroy everything

Wall Street Apes

314,660 views • 3 months ago

If you’ve been to Buffalo Wild Wings lately you know how horrible the quality has dropped This American wanted to find out why He researched and found it’s been acquired by a Private Equity Firm and they changed to a cheaper supplier and drastically cut quality for profits “I looked it up and sure enough, they had been acquired by private equity. Rourke Capital acquired Buffalo Wild Wings in 2017 — The 3 ways that they impacted the brand. The first is cost control. By focusing on tightening labor and supplier margins, they were able to increase their profit. One of my friends who worked for a competitor explained that they changed suppliers to a cheaper chicken supplier without led to lower quality wings.” He explains the other changes they’ve made Private equity has never made a single businesses better

Wall Street Apes

255,036 views • 5 months ago

Charlie Munger explains Private Equity and Investment Bankers with an example of a dumb Horse 😂 “Man goes to a Vet complaining about his horse who gets vicious sometimes. The Vet replies: The next time horse behaves well…sell it.” “That’s how private equity works.”

Charlie Munger explains Private Equity and Investment Bankers with an example of a dumb Horse 😂 “Man goes to a Vet complaining about his horse who gets vicious sometimes. The Vet replies: The next time horse behaves well…sell it.” “That’s how private equity works.”

Ronit Pereira

576,872 views • 2 months ago

The University of Utah is about to sign a first of its kind equity deal with a New York private equity firm called Otra Capital… and this is not good. This new deal will create an enitre new business that oversees everything Utah athletics, and will be controlled by the

The University of Utah is about to sign a first of its kind equity deal with a New York private equity firm called Otra Capital… and this is not good. This new deal will create an enitre new business that oversees everything Utah athletics, and will be controlled by the

Ev Hand

1,063,925 views • 7 months ago

Private equity firms are buying up tens of thousands of homes in Florida each year, not to fix them up, but to rent them out. We are not a country of renters; we are a country of owners. As Florida Governor, I will ban Blackstone and every private equity firm from buying up single-family homes.

Private equity firms are buying up tens of thousands of homes in Florida each year, not to fix them up, but to rent them out. We are not a country of renters; we are a country of owners. As Florida Governor, I will ban Blackstone and every private equity firm from buying up single-family homes.

James Fishback

15,410 views • 1 month ago

Our government has to stop private equity firms. They are destroying our lives in America Soon you won’t even be able to own a pet “How many veterinary practices are owned by private equity firms now?” “A third, to a half — Private equity firms target the owners of small, independent “mom and pop” practices. They’re doing the same thing with dentists, HVAC companies, and basically every type of small business across America, buying up large numbers of them. Once they consolidate these practices, they typically raise prices” “Does the quality of care improve as a result?” “No, the care usually gets worse.” This is why vet care has gotten so much more expensive

Our government has to stop private equity firms. They are destroying our lives in America Soon you won’t even be able to own a pet “How many veterinary practices are owned by private equity firms now?” “A third, to a half — Private equity firms target the owners of small, independent “mom and pop” practices. They’re doing the same thing with dentists, HVAC companies, and basically every type of small business across America, buying up large numbers of them. Once they consolidate these practices, they typically raise prices” “Does the quality of care improve as a result?” “No, the care usually gets worse.” This is why vet care has gotten so much more expensive

Wall Street Apes

111,334 views • 7 months ago

The cost just to visit Chuck E. Cheese is now extremely unaffordable For this small personal pizza and a few chicken wings, the cost is over $34…. Chuck E. Cheese was bought by a private equity firm Just since 2019, prices have increased over 60% on large pizzas and up 50% on most menu items In 2014, Apollo Global Management, a major private equity firm, acquired CEC Entertainment which is Chuck E. Cheese’s parent company Since being purchased by a private equity firm prices have gone up 100%+ across menus items Take this Personal pizza and wings combo: This is now routinely $30–$40+. This used to be much closer to $15 range in the mid-2010s Private equity firms never make anything better, it just gets way worse quality and more expensive

The cost just to visit Chuck E. Cheese is now extremely unaffordable For this small personal pizza and a few chicken wings, the cost is over $34…. Chuck E. Cheese was bought by a private equity firm Just since 2019, prices have increased over 60% on large pizzas and up 50% on most menu items In 2014, Apollo Global Management, a major private equity firm, acquired CEC Entertainment which is Chuck E. Cheese’s parent company Since being purchased by a private equity firm prices have gone up 100%+ across menus items Take this Personal pizza and wings combo: This is now routinely $30–$40+. This used to be much closer to $15 range in the mid-2010s Private equity firms never make anything better, it just gets way worse quality and more expensive

Wall Street Apes

90,577 views • 1 month ago

Ron artest talks to nore about Vitamin Water in 2007 wanted to business with him because of how he was pushing their product in the Community. They offered him equity but He explains that he didn't understand what "equity" was at the time and wanted cash

Ron artest talks to nore about Vitamin Water in 2007 wanted to business with him because of how he was pushing their product in the Community. They offered him equity but He explains that he didn't understand what "equity" was at the time and wanted cash

NBA Hoops

19,647 views • 3 days ago

Private Equity: See the Game, Change the Game - Full Interview Join us on Telegram: "Private Equity: See the Game, Change the Game with Tiffany Cianci" In November 2024, entrepreneur and former franchisee Tiffany Cianci (Tiffany Cianci) was a Solari Hero of the Week for her valiant pushback against private equity lawfare that has cost her and her family dearly. Since a private equity firm terminated her children’s gym franchise in 2022, Cianci has become a public speaker and small business advocate helping policymakers and citizens understand private equity’s “systematic strip-mining of the American middle class.” In Solari’s first interview of 2026, Cianci joins me to draw back the curtain on the wider private equity “game,” with the aim of improving our subscribers’ ability to navigate products, services, and business and investment relationships in an increasingly fraught-with-risk environment. We start by discussing the growth of private equity (including the public policies that have encouraged its explosion), the largest players, the role of endowments like Harvard and Yale, private equity’s extraction business model and tactics, and shenanigans related to how private equity returns are calculated and reported. We also take a look at the wide range of sectors affected by private equity’s incursions—including health care, nursing homes, autism services, veterinary services, insurance, sports, retail, and media—and bring the situation up to date with a look at actions taken by the Trump administration, such as giving the private equity industry access to our 401(k) retirement funds. The private equity invasion may be widespread, but, as Cianci and I conclude, there is still much we can do—as employees, parents, alumni, investors, pension fund beneficiaries, and voters—to demand accountability and push back against destructive and even criminal business models. Step one is to protect your time, health, finances, and savings from businesses that extract from you and yours rather than add the value that supports a free and inspired life. As a reminder, be sure (if you have not already done so) to read our Plunder report, which provides additional details that will help you recognize and navigate the havoc created when too many investment interests use our pension funds and taxpayer resources to build billionaires instead of building wealth. Full Report: Subscribe to

Private Equity: See the Game, Change the Game - Full Interview Join us on Telegram: "Private Equity: See the Game, Change the Game with Tiffany Cianci" In November 2024, entrepreneur and former franchisee Tiffany Cianci (Tiffany Cianci) was a Solari Hero of the Week for her valiant pushback against private equity lawfare that has cost her and her family dearly. Since a private equity firm terminated her children’s gym franchise in 2022, Cianci has become a public speaker and small business advocate helping policymakers and citizens understand private equity’s “systematic strip-mining of the American middle class.” In Solari’s first interview of 2026, Cianci joins me to draw back the curtain on the wider private equity “game,” with the aim of improving our subscribers’ ability to navigate products, services, and business and investment relationships in an increasingly fraught-with-risk environment. We start by discussing the growth of private equity (including the public policies that have encouraged its explosion), the largest players, the role of endowments like Harvard and Yale, private equity’s extraction business model and tactics, and shenanigans related to how private equity returns are calculated and reported. We also take a look at the wide range of sectors affected by private equity’s incursions—including health care, nursing homes, autism services, veterinary services, insurance, sports, retail, and media—and bring the situation up to date with a look at actions taken by the Trump administration, such as giving the private equity industry access to our 401(k) retirement funds. The private equity invasion may be widespread, but, as Cianci and I conclude, there is still much we can do—as employees, parents, alumni, investors, pension fund beneficiaries, and voters—to demand accountability and push back against destructive and even criminal business models. Step one is to protect your time, health, finances, and savings from businesses that extract from you and yours rather than add the value that supports a free and inspired life. As a reminder, be sure (if you have not already done so) to read our Plunder report, which provides additional details that will help you recognize and navigate the havoc created when too many investment interests use our pension funds and taxpayer resources to build billionaires instead of building wealth. Full Report: Subscribe to

The Solari Report | Catherine Austin Fitts

38,208 views • 5 months ago

Senator Josh Hawley exposes a private equity firm bought up a huge amount of American manufacturing companies, they combined them, shut down production and then cashed out $180 million dollars as a “special dividend” to the private equity firm owners The result. Taxpayers are paying $2 million dollars per fire truck The private equity firm consolidating the fire truck manufacturing industry, leading to massive delivery delays (2-4 years for new trucks), skyrocketing prices (up to $2 million per unit), and then since they shut down manufacturing to pay themselves out, there are fire truck shortages now that endanger firefighters and public safety Josh Hawley “I'm referring to a special dividend that was paid out $180 million. The vast majority of which went to your private equity ownership right before they exited. Another word for this would be a heist. This sounds to me like private equity came in, bought up all of these small companies, as you described it, good American manufacturing companies, combined them, shut down their production, rolled up a huge backlog, massive profits, these guys and now you're making out like bandits.”

Senator Josh Hawley exposes a private equity firm bought up a huge amount of American manufacturing companies, they combined them, shut down production and then cashed out $180 million dollars as a “special dividend” to the private equity firm owners The result. Taxpayers are paying $2 million dollars per fire truck The private equity firm consolidating the fire truck manufacturing industry, leading to massive delivery delays (2-4 years for new trucks), skyrocketing prices (up to $2 million per unit), and then since they shut down manufacturing to pay themselves out, there are fire truck shortages now that endanger firefighters and public safety Josh Hawley “I'm referring to a special dividend that was paid out $180 million. The vast majority of which went to your private equity ownership right before they exited. Another word for this would be a heist. This sounds to me like private equity came in, bought up all of these small companies, as you described it, good American manufacturing companies, combined them, shut down their production, rolled up a huge backlog, massive profits, these guys and now you're making out like bandits.”

Wall Street Apes

299,402 views • 9 months ago

A wave of new investors has doubled the ARK Venture Fund’s value, yet, as Chase Prather explains, our strategy remains the same: high-conviction investing, strong private company relationships, and a balanced public–private mix. ARKVX:

A wave of new investors has doubled the ARK Venture Fund’s value, yet, as Chase Prather explains, our strategy remains the same: high-conviction investing, strong private company relationships, and a balanced public–private mix. ARKVX:

ARK Funds

64,261 views • 1 year ago

NEW: Youth sports is now costing parents as much as $25,000 a year. Private equity and corporations are turning a childhood pastime into something only the wealthy can afford. Youth sports has become a $40 billion industry, and the steep costs are crushing American families.

NEW: Youth sports is now costing parents as much as $25,000 a year. Private equity and corporations are turning a childhood pastime into something only the wealthy can afford. Youth sports has become a $40 billion industry, and the steep costs are crushing American families.

More Perfect Union

4,310,542 views • 2 months ago

Henry Kravis, co-founder of private equity firm KKR "Dont congratulate us when we buy a company, congratulate us when we sell it. Any fool can overpay and buy a company as long as money will last"

Henry Kravis, co-founder of private equity firm KKR "Dont congratulate us when we buy a company, congratulate us when we sell it. Any fool can overpay and buy a company as long as money will last"

Boring_Business

117,449 views • 1 year ago

New data shows the cost to go to a bowling alley is becoming so unaffordable, it’s out of reach for many American families Private Equity Firms have started buying up bowling alleys and skyrocketing prices A company called Lucky Strike funded by private equity has been on a buying spree and now owns more than 1 in 10 bowling centers nationwide “In a growing number of cities, it can cost more than $150 for a family to bowl for a couple hours on a weekend, which led me to Wichita, Kansas, where locals take their bowling seriously. The city back in 2022 had 4 locally owned bowling centers, Then a Wall Street corporation came to town Lucky Strike. The company, fueled by private equity investments, bought 3 of the 4 bowling centers from the family that had owned them for years and has controlled the majority of lanes in the city ever since.l — The whole thing just feels like a microcosm of the modern American concept of corporate entities buy everything, they take over” Just since 2016 the cost to go bowling has doubled and some reports show it’s more than doubled Private Equity Companies like Bowlero and Lucky Strike now 350+ locations and use data-driven pricing and have reduced traditional leagues in favor of higher-margin entertainment Private equity firms are a literal cancer in America. They destroy every single thing they touch and ruin our way of life These private equity bowling alleys are even using dynamic pricing.. this is insane

New data shows the cost to go to a bowling alley is becoming so unaffordable, it’s out of reach for many American families Private Equity Firms have started buying up bowling alleys and skyrocketing prices A company called Lucky Strike funded by private equity has been on a buying spree and now owns more than 1 in 10 bowling centers nationwide “In a growing number of cities, it can cost more than $150 for a family to bowl for a couple hours on a weekend, which led me to Wichita, Kansas, where locals take their bowling seriously. The city back in 2022 had 4 locally owned bowling centers, Then a Wall Street corporation came to town Lucky Strike. The company, fueled by private equity investments, bought 3 of the 4 bowling centers from the family that had owned them for years and has controlled the majority of lanes in the city ever since.l — The whole thing just feels like a microcosm of the modern American concept of corporate entities buy everything, they take over” Just since 2016 the cost to go bowling has doubled and some reports show it’s more than doubled Private Equity Companies like Bowlero and Lucky Strike now 350+ locations and use data-driven pricing and have reduced traditional leagues in favor of higher-margin entertainment Private equity firms are a literal cancer in America. They destroy every single thing they touch and ruin our way of life These private equity bowling alleys are even using dynamic pricing.. this is insane

Wall Street Apes

303,216 views • 14 days ago

Americans who went to Chuck E. Cheese as a kid, go there now and notice its very different “I’m at Chuck E. Cheese with my kids and since when has it become such a sad place? — I remember Chuck E. Cheese when I was a kid was like full of crazy lights, colorful. There was like animatronics, like all kinds of fun stuff” There is a reason for this Chuck E. Cheese was acquired by the private equity firm Apollo Global Management in 2014 After the purchase, everything became corporate and they started the remodels people hate The major modern remodel program known as the Chuck E. Cheese 2.0 began in 2017 It went bankrupt in 2020 but emerged out of bankruptcy with new private equity ownership There is literally nothing on this earth private equity firms have made better. They just destroy businesses everyone loves

Americans who went to Chuck E. Cheese as a kid, go there now and notice its very different “I’m at Chuck E. Cheese with my kids and since when has it become such a sad place? — I remember Chuck E. Cheese when I was a kid was like full of crazy lights, colorful. There was like animatronics, like all kinds of fun stuff” There is a reason for this Chuck E. Cheese was acquired by the private equity firm Apollo Global Management in 2014 After the purchase, everything became corporate and they started the remodels people hate The major modern remodel program known as the Chuck E. Cheese 2.0 began in 2017 It went bankrupt in 2020 but emerged out of bankruptcy with new private equity ownership There is literally nothing on this earth private equity firms have made better. They just destroy businesses everyone loves

Wall Street Apes

404,525 views • 21 days ago

$MSCI CEO explains to Barron’s how MSCI’s business model works. No one can explain this company’s revenue better than he can. Focus on the asset-management fees that’s the real reason the company is growing slowly right now. Pension funds, private equity funds, and big institutions are all playing very conservatively. Warren Buffett isn’t alone; a ton of funds are sitting on cash or Treasuries.

$MSCI CEO explains to Barron’s how MSCI’s business model works. No one can explain this company’s revenue better than he can. Focus on the asset-management fees that’s the real reason the company is growing slowly right now. Pension funds, private equity funds, and big institutions are all playing very conservatively. Warren Buffett isn’t alone; a ton of funds are sitting on cash or Treasuries.

Bourbon Insider Research

46,718 views • 8 months ago

Private Equity Firms have found a new target in America, Hospitals 460+ American hospitals are now owned by private equity firms Just in the last few years, they’ve already managed to load an estimated 50 hospitals up with debt, forcing their bankruptcies and closures One private equity firm bought a hospital in Pennsylvania, “ Just two years after buying Crozier Health, Prospect took out a $1.1 billion loan and then sent nearly half of it straight to their investors while Crozier continued to suffer. It's fundamentally extractive, even among private equity industry folks. It's a controversial way to generate a return on an investment because it adds absolutely no value to the company in question” Private equity firms often use leveraged buyouts, loading acquired hospitals with debt to finance purchases. This debt, combined with strategies like sale-leaseback deals (selling hospital real estate and leasing it back to the hospital at high rents), can strain hospital finances Here’s another example of that: Steward Health Care, previously owned by Cerberus Capital Management, sold its real estate to Medical Properties Trust (MPT), incurring $350–400 million in annual rent, contributing to its 2024 bankruptcy - The hospitals own the land - Private equity buys the land and sells it to their own company - They then leases the land back to the hospital at hundreds of millions of dollars per month - They take out massive loans and pay their private equity executives hundreds of millions of dollars each The hospital goes bankrupt and closes Last month, a woman arrived at a Pennsylvania hospital with her barely breathing baby, only to discover the hospital had closed. Why? The hospital’s owner diverted millions to private equity investors instead of investing in healthcare. Now, patients and workers are paying the price.

Private Equity Firms have found a new target in America, Hospitals 460+ American hospitals are now owned by private equity firms Just in the last few years, they’ve already managed to load an estimated 50 hospitals up with debt, forcing their bankruptcies and closures One private equity firm bought a hospital in Pennsylvania, “ Just two years after buying Crozier Health, Prospect took out a $1.1 billion loan and then sent nearly half of it straight to their investors while Crozier continued to suffer. It's fundamentally extractive, even among private equity industry folks. It's a controversial way to generate a return on an investment because it adds absolutely no value to the company in question” Private equity firms often use leveraged buyouts, loading acquired hospitals with debt to finance purchases. This debt, combined with strategies like sale-leaseback deals (selling hospital real estate and leasing it back to the hospital at high rents), can strain hospital finances Here’s another example of that: Steward Health Care, previously owned by Cerberus Capital Management, sold its real estate to Medical Properties Trust (MPT), incurring $350–400 million in annual rent, contributing to its 2024 bankruptcy - The hospitals own the land - Private equity buys the land and sells it to their own company - They then leases the land back to the hospital at hundreds of millions of dollars per month - They take out massive loans and pay their private equity executives hundreds of millions of dollars each The hospital goes bankrupt and closes Last month, a woman arrived at a Pennsylvania hospital with her barely breathing baby, only to discover the hospital had closed. Why? The hospital’s owner diverted millions to private equity investors instead of investing in healthcare. Now, patients and workers are paying the price.

Wall Street Apes

247,836 views • 1 year ago

This is serious: BlackRock is no longer just investing in stocks, they’re beginning to purchase critical infrastructure in America BlackRock is trying to buy Minnesota Power, which provides powepto over 150,000 people They want to profit off of the soaring electricity demand from Al data centers. If they win, and if it's profitable, your power company could be next The higher they can skyrocket energy prices, the more they’ll cash in “BlackRock acquired Global Infrastructure Partners and since that deal, they've been a lot more involved in infrastructure” “This is a test case for companies like BlackRock expanding into industries that we use every day. Things like water, hospitals, and electricity. And if they haven't already, they could be coming to your town soon.” “If we look at northern Michigan, there is a utility called the Upper Peninsula Power Company or Upco. This was acquired by a private equity firm in 2014. Upco customers have seen a spike in their rates. Many say they can't afford. After the private equity firm took it over, shortly thereafter, they raised the bills. A couple of years later, bills went up again. Then that private equity firm sold it to a different private equity firm. Once the new private equity owners were in control, they raised bills again. Since 2014, Upco, being owned by private equity, has seen four bill hikes. There's nothing stopping BlackRock from doing the same thing in Minnesota.”

This is serious: BlackRock is no longer just investing in stocks, they’re beginning to purchase critical infrastructure in America BlackRock is trying to buy Minnesota Power, which provides powepto over 150,000 people They want to profit off of the soaring electricity demand from Al data centers. If they win, and if it's profitable, your power company could be next The higher they can skyrocket energy prices, the more they’ll cash in “BlackRock acquired Global Infrastructure Partners and since that deal, they've been a lot more involved in infrastructure” “This is a test case for companies like BlackRock expanding into industries that we use every day. Things like water, hospitals, and electricity. And if they haven't already, they could be coming to your town soon.” “If we look at northern Michigan, there is a utility called the Upper Peninsula Power Company or Upco. This was acquired by a private equity firm in 2014. Upco customers have seen a spike in their rates. Many say they can't afford. After the private equity firm took it over, shortly thereafter, they raised the bills. A couple of years later, bills went up again. Then that private equity firm sold it to a different private equity firm. Once the new private equity owners were in control, they raised bills again. Since 2014, Upco, being owned by private equity, has seen four bill hikes. There's nothing stopping BlackRock from doing the same thing in Minnesota.”

Wall Street Apes

191,005 views • 10 months ago

DOGE: How did the CEO of a private equity firm uncover millions of non-citizens with Social Security numbers in just days—while the SSA’s own Office of Inspector General, with years and a full bureaucracy behind it, never found a thing?

DOGE: How did the CEO of a private equity firm uncover millions of non-citizens with Social Security numbers in just days—while the SSA’s own Office of Inspector General, with years and a full bureaucracy behind it, never found a thing?

@amuse

3,471,138 views • 1 year ago

“A private equity firm bought our town’s housing — then slapped every family with a 50% rent INCREASE.” Meanwhile, in a town of just 23,000 people, hundreds of families are living in fear — as Wall Street quietly turns housing into a monopoly and communities into collateral.

“A private equity firm bought our town’s housing — then slapped every family with a 50% rent INCREASE.” Meanwhile, in a town of just 23,000 people, hundreds of families are living in fear — as Wall Street quietly turns housing into a monopoly and communities into collateral.

MatrixMysteries

51,435 views • 6 months ago