top of page
Stress test your leadership team before the stakes are real


A Spinout Creates Another Spinout: How Public-Market Governance and Activist Pressure Reshaped Solventum
3M spun out Solventum to create a more focused healthcare company. Now Solventum is preparing to spin out or sell a major business of its own. Here's how shareholder expectations, corporate governance, and activist investor Trian Fund Management helped drive the company's latest strategic move.

Merlin @GovernanceCentral
Aug 104 min read


The EchoStar Case Study: How Corporate Structure, M&A, and Creditor Power Led to the DISH DBS Bankruptcy
What investors, directors, executives, and MBA students can learn from one of the most fascinating corporate strategy stories in modern communications. Executive Summary In June 2026, DISH DBS Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while its parent company, EchoStar Corporation, remained outside bankruptcy. EchoStar stated that its brands, customers, operations, and employees would continue operating normally. [cases.ra.kroll.com], [hbs.edu] At first glance, t

Merlin @GovernanceCentral
Jul 47 min read


GameStop’s Bid for eBay: How Corporate Governance Is Supposed to Work in a $55 Billion Deal
GameStop’s attempt to acquire eBay is less a strategic move and more a test of corporate governance under pressure.
At stake is not just whether the deal can work—but whether the board is enforcing the kind of discipline, risk control, and independent judgment that prevents ambition from becoming exposure.

Merlin @GovernanceCentral
Jul 14 min read


Comcast Spinoff of NBCUniversal: Signals the End of Vertical Integration in Media
For fifteen years, Comcast bet that owning both content and distribution would win. This week, it began unwinding that bet. The split of NBCUniversal doesn’t just reshape one company—it rewrites the logic of the entire media industry.

Merlin @GovernanceCentral
Jun 293 min read


Allbirds’ AI Pivot Explained: Execution Risk, Stock Surge, and Shareholder Lawsuit Exposure
Allbirds’ dramatic shift from footwear to AI infrastructure sent its stock soaring—but the real story isn’t the pivot itself. It’s whether the company can execute in a highly competitive market, and whether gaps between narrative and reality could expose it to shareholder lawsuits.

Merlin @GovernanceCentral
Jun 223 min read


Fox Just Bought Roku
Fox is buying Roku to do more than expand its streaming reach—it’s buying the system that decides what millions of people watch. That shift could reshape the balance of power in television.

Merlin @GovernanceCentral
Jun 163 min read


Starbucks May Spin Its Japan Platform: Capital, Control, and Conviction
Starbucks Japan’s IPO highlights important questions in corporate strategy, strategic options, and capital allocation. The case shows how boards and executives can evaluate growth, ownership structure, market positioning, and long-term value creation.

Merlin @GovernanceCentral
Jun 113 min read
bottom of page

