I always wonder in these situations if there is a counter of the form, "Sure, we'll take the cash, up front please, and nobody on the team will be required to go with the company." Most people assume that this sort of demand would 'kill the deal' but sometimes there are exceptions. The reason I wonder about this is because it could create what is essentially a very wealthy core team that can already work well togethe…
What else are you paying $7B for if not the people? If I’m an acquiring company, I’m not optimizing for creating a very wealthy team that will leave and create another company. I want that team to work for me.
Access to customers. User data. To remove a competitor from the market. Patents. Because the CEOs bonus depends on market share. To enter a new regional market.
There are lots of reasons to buy a company. Aquihiring the team is just one.