Comment by eszed

> private investment firms are failing spectacularly to manage small businesses they acquire (e.g. dentists and vets) and running them into the ground

Absolutely, but (and this depends upon the "financialization of everything" point someone made above) that doesn't matter, because in the meantime they'll have personally made a profit on the deal. Building (or keeping) a sustainable business was never one of their goals. I call it "extractive capitalism", and it's ruining the world.