Acquired
About this creator
Acquired is a long-form business podcast that breaks down the companies, acquisitions, and strategic decisions behind iconic businesses.
Why they're in the library
Included for clear, credible perspective as long-form business podcast that breaks down the companies, acquisitions, and strategic decisions behind iconic businesses.
Showing 168 digests for Acquired.
How TSMC became the world's indispensable chip manufacturer
Acquired
January 21, 2025
Case studies
10
Business models
8
Unit economics
6
Morris Chang founded TSMC at 56 with zero founder equity.
The pure-play foundry model made Nvidia and Apple Silicon possible.
TSMC's manufacturing moat cannot be replicated with money alone.
How Mars Inc. became a $50 billion private empire from candy and pet food
Acquired
December 16, 2024
Origin stories
9
Business models
7
The reclusive Mars family outgrew Coca-Cola while staying completely private
Forrest Sr. worked anonymously on Nestlé's factory floor to learn chocolate-making
Pet care — not candy — is now 59% of Mars's $50 billion revenue
How IKEA became the world's only globally scaled furniture brand
Acquired
November 18, 2024
Origin stories
10
Business models
7
Bootstrapping
6
IKEA built a $200B empire from a single 500-kroner bank loan — never raised again.
Flat-pack, self-assembly, and the showroom concept unlocked a completely uncontested market.
A maze-like corporate structure in Liechtenstein and the Netherlands protects IKEA from taxes, takeovers, and family squabbles forever.
How Meta connected half of humanity and keeps winning
Acquired
October 28, 2024
Origin stories
10
Competitive analysis
7
Meta reaches more humans than any empire in history — and it was never an accident
Turning down $1B from Yahoo and $24B from Microsoft paid off within two years
Mobile nearly killed Facebook; necessity forced the best ad unit in company history
Founder interviews
Podcast
Acquired Live at Chase Center: Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Daniel Ek, Emily Chang
Acquired
September 30, 2024
Founder interviews
9
Business models
7
Meta survived every existential threat by being a tech company, not a social app
Zuckerberg's biggest regret: accepting political blame he didn't deserve for 20 years
Spotify became podcast market leader in three years by funnelling existing music listeners
Founder interviews
Podcast
Mark Zuckerberg on Meta's strategy, open source, and building for the next 20 years
Acquired
September 18, 2024
Founder interviews
9
Long-term planning
7
AI strategy & adoption
6
Why Meta's survival comes from being a technology company, not a social app
Accepting political blame you don't own can cost 20 years of brand equity
Reality Labs and open-source AI are the same strategic bet: own the platform
Microsoft Volume II: From Browser Wars to Azure (1995–2014)
Acquired
July 22, 2024
Origin stories
10
Business models
7
Pivoting
6
The DOJ ordered Microsoft broken up in 2000 — it never happened
Azure was seven years old before Satya Nadella became CEO
Microsoft tripled revenue during its supposed 'lost decade'
How Howard Schultz built Starbucks from three bean stores to a global institution
Acquired
June 4, 2024
Origin stories
10
Business models
9
Culture building
8
Starbucks ran on zero marketing spend — the cup was the only billboard needed.
80% gross margins and 18 visits a month from loyal customers made the unit economics unbeatable.
The mobile app that powers a third of orders is now the biggest threat to the brand.
How Microsoft won the PC era: from BASIC interpreter to Windows 95
Acquired
April 22, 2024
Origin stories
10
Business models
8
Competitive analysis
6
Retaining DOS rights while IBM funded the entire PC market was the deal of the century
Microsoft was fully bootstrapped — Gates owned 49% at IPO in a $750M company
Going global in year three put half of revenue in Japan within twelve months
How Renaissance Technologies built the best investment track record in history
Acquired
March 18, 2024
Origin stories
10
Business models
7
40% net annual returns for 34 years — no other fund comes close
Hiring physicists, not investors, and treating markets as a signal-processing problem
One shared model and aligned incentives made defection irrational
Hermès: how a 19th-century saddler became the crown jewel of luxury
Acquired
February 20, 2024
Origin stories
10
Business models
7
Branding
6
Scarcity is the result of the craft, not a deliberate brand strategy
Family rebuffed Bernard Arnault's decade-long secret takeover attempt
A €200B company where every bag is made by one artisan, start to finish
Novo Nordisk: 100 years of insulin, diabetes, and the rise of GLP-1
Acquired
January 22, 2024
Origin stories
9
Business models
7
Competitive analysis
6
A nonprofit foundation blocking a sale preserved the GLP-1 pipeline that made Ozempic.
Two bitter rival Danish insulin companies, founded 1924, merged after 65 years of competition.
Pharma ROIC is ~13% — roughly average — once drug failures are counted.
Acquired 2023 year in review: growth, brand, and going all-in
Acquired
December 18, 2023
Business models
8
Case studies
7
Branding
6
Why growing too fast can hollow out a niche media business
Studying LVMH taught them to stop apologising for scarcity
Both hosts go full-time together and begin co-investing
How Visa became the world's most profitable payment network
Acquired
November 27, 2023
Business models
10
Origin stories
7
Visa owns no cards, bears no risk, yet earns 50% net margins.
One self-taught outsider convinced 200 competing banks to share a network.
A five-sided network effect built over 50 years is nearly impossible to displace.
Founder interviews
Podcast
Investing Wisdom and Business Principles from Charlie Munger
Acquired
October 30, 2023
Founder interviews
9
Valuation
8
Business models
7
Great investments appear five or six times in a lifetime—recognize them and bet heavily on conviction.
Costco's culture and relentless execution for 40 years beats clever business model tricks alone.
Most capital now chases too few exceptional opportunities, compressing returns across all asset classes.