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Before getting into today’s Sunday Reads, I wanted to make sure I shared the registration link for an exciting investing discussion I’ll be hosting with my good friends Morgan Housel and Drew Dickson on July 22nd. We’ll be discussing a wide range of relevant topics like the importance of behavioral finance to investing, the current state of Tech / Growth stocks, and why European stocks are potentially worth a second look. Not one to miss, and its free to register!
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Elon Musk Tells Twitter… “Sike!”
You may have heard this week that Elon Musk told Twitter’s board… “sike! I will not be buying Twitter for $44 billion.” In the words of Jason Bateman in Dodgeball, “It’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for em.”
In their letter to Twitter, Musk’s lawyers at Skadden Arps wrote:
“As further described below, Mr. Musk is terminating the Merger Agreement because Twitter is in material breach of multiple provisions of that Agreement, appears to have made false and misleading representations upon which Mr. Musk relied when entering into the Merger Agreement, and is likely to suffer a Company Material Adverse Effect (as that term is defined in the Merger Agreement).”
In response to Musk’s actions, the Chairman of Twitter’s board posted that the company “plans to pursue legal action to enforce the merger agreement”, and that they are “confident we will prevail in the Delaware Court of Chancery.”
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a corporate battle! That said, today’s post will focus on some historical examples of corporate warfare and heated business rivalries between some of America’s best known companies and business leaders.
Bar Fights, Lawsuits & the Flu Pandemic: The War Between Henry Ford and the Dodge Brothers
Why This is Relevant:
Visualizing History:

Henry Ford
Robert Brooker: Unsung Warrior in One of the Greatest Battles in Business
Why This is Relevant:
A fascinating story of corporate warfare and rivalry involving the Amazon of the 20th century, Sears Roebuck, and its bitter competitor Montgomery Ward.
Visualizing History:
A Century of Corporate Takeovers: What Have We Learned and Where Do We Stand?
Why This is Relevant:
Visualizing History:
US Merger Waves Since 1897 (Total Number of Deals)
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