READY FOR JASON: Ask Page — What happens to my team when I sell my company?

FINAL DRAFT

Short answer: It depends entirely on who buys you and how you negotiate the deal. This is one of the most important and least-discussed variables in an exit.

With a strategic acquirer, the typical post-close reality is integration. Your team joins their organisation. Some roles will be duplicated and redundancies will happen, usually within the first 12 months. Engineering and product teams often survive intact if the buyer wants the technology. Sales and marketing teams are most at risk because the buyer typically has their own.

With a PE buyer, the dynamic is different. PE firms generally want to preserve the management team that generated the performance they paid for. Key employee retention is often a deal condition, with retention packages and equity in the new structure to incentivise the people who matter most. The risk here is more cultural: PE buyers bring a financial discipline and pace of change that not everyone adapts to.

What you can control: negotiate for it. Key employee retention packages, minimum headcount commitments, and notice periods before redundancies are all negotiable deal terms. They are easier to get when you are still being competed for. Push for these protections at the LOI stage.

Be honest with your team at the right time. Most founders wrestle with when to tell key employees. The answer depends on whether knowing would cause them to leave mid-process. For most deals, disclosure to the top 3 to 5 people who will be critical to diligence is necessary. Everyone else typically finds out at close.

Related: How do I prepare my company for acquisition? | What is the best structure for a founder exit?

-- Drafted by Bolt 17 Aug 2026 | Part of W1 Ask Page Batch 3