Have worked in C levels of many PE portfolio companies across industries and this all tracks for me.

I make a good amount every time the company changes hands so I’m kind of complicit but I also try very hard to run each company the best it can be run from the perspective of all stakeholders. Sometimes they just live in la la land with their expectations. They put together an investment thesis prior to investing and cant wrap their heads around any deviations from some stupid excel model they built with 5-10 year financials all on rose colored assumptions. One business I was a part of had a new government regulation immediately erode 40% of their revenues and every month explaining it over and over why we were down to plan was ridiculous. Then the annual budget we told them would be a readjustment to reality. When we presented it they acted flabbergasted. This same thing went on over and over until I just got fed up telling them I didn’t care about their investment thesis and would only discuss reality and left the company purely because of the investors. Stuff like that is pretty common

Looting is a rather apt word. What really breaks me is the fact that these are the people who are making it. Destructive people who extract every last cent of value from everything in sight are winning. Society actively rewards this. Constructive people who are actively trying to add value to the world face many more risks and difficulties.

so basically the principal - agent problem turned up to 11?