A lot of the comments here seem to assume that a smaller public company can’t acquire a larger one, which just isn’t true.

A quick search for how leveraged acquisitions, stock-for-stock deals, financing commitments, or tender offers work would answer most of the objections.

Is it too much to ask the Hacker News commentariat to do one quick search before collectively declaring that something they don’t understand is impossible?

There’s one comment as of the time of your post that makes this assumption - you could have replied to them directly.

I see a single comment mentioning it is impossible. No sign of a collective declaration. I think you’re overreacting

Example from quite some time ago: Avast buying AVG. The value of AVG was around twice that of Avast.

> A quick search for how leveraged acquisitions, stock-for-stock deals, financing commitments, or tender offers work would answer most of the objections.

Isn’t the assumption that it’s impossible intuitively justified if you have no background in finances? A small fish usually can’t devour a bigger fish either.

Also, all those terms you mentioned mean nothing to me. You can’t search for what you don’t know exists.

But if it all goes sour nobody will be held accountable and two not one company are ruined.

I don't see how such leveraged acquisitions should be legal.

Speaking as someone who used to know absolutely nothing about the world of high finance, yes, it is too much to ask.

Before I started paying attention to such things I wouldn't have known a single one of those terms to even begin googling.

And let's be honest here. A smaller company saddled with big debt buying out an even larger company really doesn't make logical sense. It makes financial sense, which is subject to different laws of mathematics, probably involving the waiter's check pad in an Italian bistro.

I imagine the vast majority of us do not have a problem understanding smaller companies can buy larger ones. Most of us are just incredulous that anyone is taking GameStop, especially Cohen, seriously.

> Is it too much to ask the Hacker News commentariat to do one quick search

Are you new here?