Pros
posted a few years ago, as I think I am one of few employees to have worked at a company post-acquisition earlier in career. INCREDIBLY smooth relative to most acquisitions - NOT smooth objectively speaking. What happens to your company when acquired by Google, Amazon, Yahoo, GE, etc. Acquirer uses what it needs / likes and disposes of the rest. During a period of unprecedented layoffs at NW Mutual, LearnVest office in NYC has catapulted in size and responsibility. Jobs created, professionals promoted. Sure, plenty of headaches and culture clash. duh. Did NW Mutual pay a lot for LV? Sure. But thinking about what they have created out of the Learnvest bones, it strikes me as an all time bargain. The WHOLE company being rewired through Learnvest personnel and assets. Talent hub for NW Mutual as well. a lot of insurance CEO very envious of what Schlifske did, I learned at recent conference. especially the other life insurers that flirted with Learnvest. Seriously talented people. Highgraded since acquisition (although per below, some at risk) Lynchpin of the entire parent company. Literally running all key projects for Fortune 50 company. NW Mutual has ZERO employees in NYC before the acquisition. Around 80-100 when I joined and through the acquisition. Now has 350 going to 500. Truly reinventing NW Mutual from "satellite" office. unbeatable location and office setup
Cons
Many employees receive final incentive payout from integration work this year. A lot of employees trying to figure out who is staying and who is going. NW Mutual not giving enough latitude to NYC leaders to talk about future of organization and incentive plans. Creates anxiety. POLITICS. culture clash with MKE (Milwaukee to the outsiders reading this). There are people in MKE who want the NYC office to go away. Level of talent and horsepower vastly greater in certain areas. Threat to veteran employees in MKE. Others in MKE are embracing. This is natural for an acquisiton. Not a startup