Public acquisition examples and the lessons we draw from them.
These examples are public reference points that help explain our thinking. They are not claims that we completed these transactions ourselves.
Disney acquired Pixar in 2006 in a transaction valued at about $7.4 billion. It is often cited as a strong example of strategic fit and culture preservation.
The lesson: good acquisitions protect what makes the target valuable while improving scale and long-term reach.
Facebook announced it would acquire Instagram in 2012 for about $1 billion in cash and stock. At the time, the deal was widely discussed because Instagram had momentum but little revenue.
The lesson: strategic positioning and future ecosystem value can matter as much as current size.
Microsoft agreed in 2016 to acquire LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in cash. The deal was framed around connecting LinkedIn’s network with Microsoft’s productivity and cloud ecosystem.
The lesson: a good acquisition can deepen product value when the buyer has a clear integration plan.
In future updates, we will add more public examples and operator playbooks that match the kinds of businesses we evaluate.
If you are a seller or partner, the main takeaway is simple: we study what has worked in the market and apply those lessons carefully to each opportunity.