logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
33m 45s

Stop the Steal: Revisiting Private Equit...

Civic Ventures
About this episode

Private equity is looting America by exploiting vulnerable companies and extracting profits at the expense of workers, communities, and the broader economy. They've been buying up companies in every industry in the U.S. Economy and stripping them for parts. These massive firms have vast holdings across critical industries essential to the health and well-being of everyday people. Some recent examples include private equity's role in education, utilities, housing, and even in the healthcare sector, which led to the closure of hospitals and nursing homes, endangering public health. We thought it would be a good time to revisit this episode from 2023 with Brendan Ballou, a federal prosecutor and the author of Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America. In this episode, he explains how we can stop private equity’s plan to pillage America.


This episode originally aired on July 25, 2023.


Brendan Ballou is a federal prosecutor and served as Special Counsel for Private Equity in the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. Previously, he worked in private practice, and before that, in the National Security Division of the Justice Department, where he advised the White House on counterterrorism and other policies.


Twitter: @brendanballou


Further reading: 


Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America


The Guardian - Slash and burn: is private equity out of control?


Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com

Twitter: @PitchforkEcon, @NickHanauer, @civicaction

Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics

Threads: pitchforkeconomics

YouTube: @pitchforkeconomics

Substack: The Pitch

Up next
Jul 8
Back to Basics Series: What the hell are they talking about? Econ terms explained! (with Nick and Goldy)
Ever find yourself halfway through a Pitchfork Economics episode thinking, “Wait… what’s a monopsony?” You’re not alone. In this listener-favorite episode, Nick and Goldy break down some of the most important—and most misunderstood—economic terms we use on the show. From ‘neoclas ... Show More
14m 48s
Jul 1
Back to Basics Series: Why do we call it Pitchfork Economics? (with Ganesh Sitaraman & Walter Scheidel)
In 2014, Nick Hanauer sounded the alarm: if economic inequality kept growing, the pitchforks would come—for him, and for the rest of America’s wealthy elite. Then 2016 happened. Donald Trump was elected president on a wave of economic populism that correctly identified massive in ... Show More
33m 16s
Jun 24
The Truth About Immigration and the American Worker (with Rogé Karma)
Conventional wisdom says immigration drives down wages and takes jobs from American workers. But what if that story is fueled by bad economics? Journalist Rogé Karma joins Nick and Goldy to challenge the Econ 101 logic that supercharges anti-immigrant rhetoric—and to explain what ... Show More
39m 13s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
'How Progressives Froze the American Dream' (Live)
If you had to describe the U.S. economy at the moment, I think you could do worse than the word stuck. The labor market is stuck. The low unemployment rate disguises how surprisingly hard it is to find a job today. The hiring rate has declined consistently since 2022, and it's no ... Show More
56m 39s
Feb 2025
HOT TOPICS | The American Dream is Gone, This is the American Nightmare! - February 13th, 2025
The United States is no longer a land of opportunity—it’s a playground for oligarchs. While millions struggle to afford basic necessities like healthcare, housing, and food, the ultra-wealthy and those in power continue to prioritize tax cuts for the elite. The American Dream has ... Show More
1h 30m
Sep 2024
Who's Responsible for the Housing Crisis?
Americans love local government. In a December 2023 Pew Research survey, 61 percent of respondents had a favorable view of their local government while 77 percent had an unfavorable view of the federal government. But behind this veneer of goodwill is a disturbing truth: Local go ... Show More
1h 2m
Oct 2023
Stephanie Southworth and Sara Brallier, "Homelessness in the 21st Century: Living the Impossible American Dream" (Routledge, 2023)
An accessible and engaging introductory text on homelessness and housing policy, this timely book uses a sociopolitical framework for understanding issues of homelessness in the United States.The authors, leading sociologists in their field, use data from over 250 interviews and ... Show More
1h 6m
Jul 2024
Trailer: Boom!
How did two old, unpopular men end up running for the world's most demanding job? It’s the question John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, gets asked the most. And the answer lies in the peculiar politics of the baby boomers. Since 1992, every American president bar one has be ... Show More
3m 32s
May 2024
Harry Pettit, "The Labor of Hope:: Meritocracy and Precarity in Egypt" (Stanford UP, 2023)
Capitalism is not only an economic system but also a system of production and allocation of hope. In Egypt, a generation of young men desire fulfilling employment, meaningful relationships, and secure family life, yet find few paths to achieve this. In The Labor of Hope:: Meritoc ... Show More
56m 20s
Jul 2024
Trailer: Boom!
How did two old, unpopular men end up running for the world's most demanding job? It’s the question John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, gets asked the most. And the answer lies in the peculiar politics of the baby boomers.  Since 1992, every American president bar one has b ... Show More
3m 32s
Jul 2024
Trailer: Boom!
How did two old, unpopular men end up running for the world's most demanding job? It’s the question John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, gets asked the most. And the answer lies in the peculiar politics of the baby boomers. Since 1992, every American president bar one has be ... Show More
3m 32s
Jun 2024
How to Fix Capitalism
Is capitalism broken? A growing number of Americans think so amid declining social mobility and rising inequality. According to investor Ruchir Sharma, author of What Went Wrong With Capitalism, the United States has gone on a decades-long debt binge, with too many regulations an ... Show More
42m 24s