Season 3 of The Closer is coming very soon — but before it does, we want to hear from you! We want to know what you want to hear this season, and why? It can be a specific deal, or it can be something broad, like a takeover by an underdog, or a question, like: what’s the strangest thing a CEO has said at a closing dinner? You give us a prompt or a challenge and we’ll see if we can find that story for you. Send us a voice memo now to hello@thecloser.fm and we just might include it in the show! www.thecloser.fm

Vince McMahon took over his father’s regional wrestling business in the 1980s, and made it into an international media and entertainment juggernaut valued at billions of dollars. This is the story of how McMahon cleverly bulldozed competitors, acquired rivals and capitalized on the public’s hatred of his tactics, as told by writer Abraham Josephine Riesman. Want more from The Closer? Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts to unlock new episodes before everyone else, as well ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content. Sign up on The Closer show page in the Apple Podcasts app.

The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest private equity firms, has quietly built a deal-making machine that's gobbling up apartments in desirable and gentrifying neighborhoods. A real estate broker working at the center of these deals takes us inside the machine as we explore the trends driving this big bet on scarce, expensive housing. Want more from The Closer? Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts to unlock new episodes before everyone else, as well ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content. Sign up on The Closer show page in the Apple Podcasts app.

In early 2020, the home-sharing platform was poised to make a splashy debut on the public markets later that year. But within just a few weeks, coronavirus brought travel - and Airbnb business - to a halt. Journalist Liz Hoffman takes us inside the financing that saved the Silicon Valley darling and became one of the defining Wall Street deals of the pandemic. Want more from The Closer? Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts to unlock new episodes before everyone else, as well ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content. Sign up on The Closer show page in the Apple Podcasts app.

When private equity-backed PetSmart bought Chewy.com for more than $3bn in 2017, people thought the retailer was doomed. Within just a few years, though, it was one of the most successful private equity turnarounds in history thanks to an executive who stuck to his guns. Reporter Miriam Gottfried takes us inside the transformation. Want more from The Closer? Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts to unlock new episodes before everyone else, as well ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content. Sign up on The Closer show page in the Apple Podcasts app.

We take you inside the final days of Toys R Us with Lauren Hirsch, the reporter who first revealed the iconic company’s impending bankruptcy, and explain what drove the company out of business. Want more from The Closer? Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts to unlock new episodes before everyone else, as well ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content. Sign up on The Closer show page in the Apple Podcasts app.

The US Women's National Soccer Team is among the most decorated teams in the game but, until recently, was paid a fraction of what the men took home. When the players decided to take up the fight for equal pay, they turned to sports attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who built a career out of representing some of the most high-profile athletes in labor disputes with professional leagues. He takes us inside the team’s strategy and reveals how they got the deal done. Want more from The Closer? Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts to unlock new episodes before everyone else, as well ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content. Sign up on The Closer show page in the Apple Podcasts app.

From Project Brazen and PRX, this is season 2 of The Closer, coming June 12, 2023. The Closer returns this summer with six dramatic new stories of groundbreaking deals. An epic fight from soccer's biggest stars, a private equity redemption story, the end of a toy empire, and so much more. Subscribe to Brazen+ to get new, ad-free episodes of The Closer before anyone else, as well as exclusive bonus content. Sign up on The Closer show page in Apple Podcasts or try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/thecloser. For more, visit www.thecloser.fm.

A new kind of money is flooding into professional sports: sovereign wealth. Aimee and Ben check in on Saudi Arabia's ownership of Newcastle United – who have now qualified for the Champions League – and why sportswashing is so prevalent and successful for these investors. Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod. www.thecloser.fm

HBO and Discovery are getting a new streaming home. This week, Warner Bros Discovery rolled out "Max," its new unified app, as part of a push to compete with platforms like Hulu, Netflix and Disney+. Aimee and Ben discuss how it could signal a new front in the competition among streamers. Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod. www.thecloser.fm

Hundreds of thousands of Japanese companies have a problem – their founders are aging without a successor in sight. One entrepreneur has built his $1.3 billion fortune on a solution. Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod. www.thecloser.fm

The Oakland A’s are one step closer to a move to Las Vegas, reaching a deal this week for a new plot of land that would house a brand new ballpark. Aimee and Ben discuss the developing deal and what it tells us about the state of the business of professional sports. Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod. www.thecloser.fm

The financial press has been reporting on a big trend in dealmaking: it's way down this year, especially in comparison to the M&A activity of 2021. Aimee and Ben discuss the winners and losers of this new environment, and what it might mean for the types of deals to expect in the months to come. Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod. www.thecloser.fm

Bed Bath & Beyond's decline and fall is complete. The iconic home goods retailer said this week that it was entering bankruptcy and that all of its stores would be shuttered by the end of June. Ben and Aimee discuss Bed Bath & Beyond's collapse, diving into stock sales, failed turnarounds, share buybacks, meme stocks and yes, those iconic blue and white coupons. Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod. www.thecloser.fm

Alongside the release of Netflix's quarterly earnings, the streaming service announced two big pieces of news this week. One, that it would be ending its DVD mailing business, and two, that it would be delaying a crackdown on password sharing in the US. Ben and Aimee discuss the past, present, and future of Netflix's growth ambitions. Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod. www.thecloser.fm

This week, we're looking at a deal one of our listeners on Twitter asked us to cover. It's JetBlue's $3.8bn takeover of discount carrier Spirit Airlines. The deal was approved by Spirit shareholders last fall, but US authorities have sued to block it on antitrust grounds. Ben and Aimee cover how the deal came together, the regulatory concerns, as well as how the deal fits into the bigger picture of consolidation in the industry in the last two decades. For a longer look at the state of consolidation in the airline industry, check out episode 1 of The Closer, The Deal That Made The World's Biggest Airline. Is there a deal you’d like Aimee and Ben to take a deeper look at? Tweet us at @thecloserpod. www.thecloser.fm

Two of the biggest names in fighting, WWE and Endeavor’s UFC, are coming together to form a new, publicly traded entity. It’s a tie-up of larger-than-life personalities in the ring (or octagon) and in the boardroom. Ben and Aimee discuss the roles of three executives at the heart of the deal - Ari Emanuel, Vince McMahon and Dana White - and the potential implications of the merger. Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod. For more from The Closer, visit TheCloser.FM.

Shares in Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba jumped this week after founder Jack Ma made a rare visit to mainland China, and the company announced plans to break itself into six business units. Ben and Aimee discuss the latest in the tense relationship between Chinese authorities and the country's tech sector. Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod. For more from The Closer, visit TheCloser.FM.

JP Morgan Chase thought it owned 54 metric tonnes of nickel, the most highly valued base metal. The bank had reason to believe this nickel was stored in bags at a warehouse in Rotterdam. It turns out these bags are, instead, full of stones. Ben and Aimee discuss the case of JP Morgan's missing nickel and how this story is just the latest drama in the nickel trade. Is there a business or deal story that you’d like Aimee and Ben to cover? Get in touch! You can email us at hello@thecloser.fm or find us on Twitter or Instagram @thecloserpod. For more from The Closer, visit TheCloser.FM.

Financial Times journalist Tabby Kinder was one of the first to report on weaknesses at Silicon Valley Bank. In this episode of The Closer, she breaks down the bank's swift collapse and tells us what it's been like covering the story as it unfolds. Read Tabby's reporting at ft.com/tabby-kinder For more from The Closer, visit TheCloser.FM.