Megan Greenwell
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greenwell.bsky.social
Megan Greenwell
@greenwell.bsky.social
21K followers 290 following 1.4K posts
Journalist, writing narrative features for Businessweek and other places. My book Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream is out now! Order it here: https://bookshop.org/a/109816/9780063299351
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greenwell.bsky.social
Your favorite NYC museumhead is back to report that the Brooklyn Museum’s “Monet in Venice” exhibition is nice, while the Seydou Keïta retrospective one floor down is incredible.
Monet painting of Venice buildings across a canal Monet painting of Venice buildings across a canal Keïta photograph of a fashionable woman leaning on a 1960s radio Keïta photo of two women and a girl leaning against a 1960s car
November 28, 2025 at 6:29 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
Your favorite NYC museumhead is back to report that the Brooklyn Museum’s “Monet in Venice” exhibition is nice, while the Seydou Keïta retrospective one floor down is incredible.
Monet painting of Venice buildings across a canal Monet painting of Venice buildings across a canal Keïta photograph of a fashionable woman leaning on a 1960s radio Keïta photo of two women and a girl leaning against a 1960s car
November 28, 2025 at 6:28 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
as a person who reads a lot and has been yelling for months about writers who don’t read, I wholeheartedly endorse Casey’s excellent advice—this bit especially. go to bookstores! go to the LIBRARY!
If you feel like you are not great at parsing a shelf, it's a skill worth developing as a reader. There is nothing like going to find a book you reasonably believe you will like, and finding it standing among hundreds of similarly interesting books, because you are working with shelves and sections, and not lists and "related"s. Again, of course, it doesn't mean you will like every book on that subject. But you might find you can pull a few more off the shelves. You don't have to actually read them all. Skim them at a table, put them back on a book cart, take one or a few home to browse some more. Freedom!
November 26, 2025 at 4:50 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
I'm extremely freaking thrilled to have been named one of two runners-up in the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing's Best in Business Book Awards. (The fact that the other is the great @kateconger.com / @rmac.bsky.social duo makes it even cooler.) sabew.org/2025/11/winn...
Winner: Patrick McGee's Apple in China. Finalists: my book and Kate Conger and Ryan Mac's Character Limit
November 13, 2025 at 8:31 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
sorry sorry I screwed up again, THIS is the coolest thing to do.
Slack conversation from 2019: David Roth 2:12 PM I suspect the answer is no but should I do a quick There's A Chance The Mets Never Lose Again blog? samer 2:12 PM oh buddy Barry Petchesky 2:12 PM oh roth
November 11, 2025 at 6:33 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
Another PSA for New Yorkers is that it’s a perfect night to drink a beer outside, almost certainly the last one of those for many months, so go do that right now if you possibly can.
me, dark lager, bar patio, string lights
November 8, 2025 at 10:44 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
Hi hello, your friendly neighborhood museumhead here with a PSA that if you live in NYC or have ANY opportunity to get to NYC before February, the Ruth Asawa exhibition at MoMA is the best thing I’ve seen all year.
three long vertical Ruth Asawa wire sculptures four hanging Ruth Asawa sculptures a Ruth Asawa painting of eggplants two Ruth Asawa drawings of branches
November 8, 2025 at 6:41 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
feeling sorry for all the millionaires and billionaires who didn’t get to see this perfect NYC sunset because they fled the city forever today. 😞
lotta colors and textured clouds over the Manhattan skyline
November 5, 2025 at 10:01 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
If you are a cool books lady fear-mongering about a municipal election, you should simply disclose who your father is, how much money he’s made from private equity, and how much he donated to Donald Trump!
Z*by Owens melting down about Mamdani winning. (Her father is a private equity magnate worth $45 billion.)
November 5, 2025 at 3:40 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
man this just does not feel like a remotely fair or accurate statement to me!
A state assemblyman from Queens, Mr. Mamdani had entered the contest a year ago as little more than a protest candidate with a thin résumé and virtually no citywide profile.
November 5, 2025 at 2:44 AM
greenwell.bsky.social
Less than two months to go and I must speak my truth: I have made absolutely no progress here. This was what it took to light one (1) candle.
Five matches in various stages of busted. One broke in half while I was lighting it somehow??
November 4, 2025 at 12:03 AM
greenwell.bsky.social
things seem to be going great for the Cuomo campaign!
a billboard truck that says “You Are F*CK*D! Your Tax Dollars will pay for HOTELS, DOCTORS, & FREEBIES for ILLEGALS! VOTE CUOMO”
November 3, 2025 at 6:42 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
oh my god this is so embarrassing!!!
“In September, the magazine ran a piece about Rihanna and rapper A$AP Rocky's third baby, and noted that the duo didn't respond to a request for comment. Guiducci asked for the line to be changed to "reps for Rihanna and Rocky did not immediately respond to Vanity Fair's request for comment, their hands perhaps full with their three kids," believing the line sounded less harsh, and asked why the journalist who wrote the story hadn't consulted the company's talent department before reaching out.”
November 3, 2025 at 3:32 AM
greenwell.bsky.social
“Let him among you who is without a Nazi tattoo cast the first stone.” -The Bible
Only perfect candidates off the harvard law conveyor belt pls, highly disciplined, all boxes checked, well liked and humble, absolutely no spiritual connection to having a physical body except for severe IBS, volunteered at a soup kitchen in high school, signs email "cheers," etc.
October 22, 2025 at 2:20 AM
greenwell.bsky.social
I think this is called yellow journalism People lying on the internet for views PLEASE tell me you told her that Next thing you know she's gonna start a family vlog Start making sourdough and marry someone That's what she's gonna do
October 20, 2025 at 1:03 AM
greenwell.bsky.social
If you ever find yourself in northern New Mexico, touring Georgia O’Keeffe’s home and studio in Abiquiu is absolute magic.
a ladder against an adobe wall Georgia O’Keeffe’s perfect living room, all neutral colors, a gnarled tree framed through the window MASSIVE PANTRY the view from GO’s bedroom window
October 15, 2025 at 12:27 AM
greenwell.bsky.social
lol apparently it’s a “known issue” that if someone blocks you on LinkedIn there’s no way to delete or even see their many unhinged comments on one of your posts, so ty to those who sent me screenshots of this dude calling me “Mean mean Megan.”
comments from Jay: Megan Greenwell Wow, that was mean. Sorry for educating you on the industry and M&A world. Like Reply Jay D. 0 • 3rd+ 2h ••• School Leaders | Author of After the Ga... Megan Greenwell Unlike you, I wrote my book out of passion, not for sales. Never track sales. Its endorsed by some of the great business and industry leaders. Thanks for the mean and evil message. Sheesh. Like Reply Jay D. 0 • 3rd+ 1h School Leaders | Author of After the Ga... Megan Greenwell question for you: I read your book, I understand the stories. Have you personally ever done a PE deal? Have you ever been through due diligence and transition? Have you ever felt the pain? Again, my book was written to help others, solve a major pain, and change the world for the better. Thanks for your mean and awful message more comments from Jay: Megan Greenwell lol I even gave you kudos earlier for the book. You just went total "Karen" on me and have an ego. A journalist writes a book for sales....way to go! Like Reply Jay D. © • 3rd+ 1h (edited) **• School Leaders | Author of After the Ga... Megan Greenwell sent a while back, also gave you positive reviews online. I say I hope your book can find its place, a positive affirmation, and you reveal your true character. Mean Megan. Mean mean Megan.
October 10, 2025 at 9:51 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
I cannot overstate what a bad idea it is for a man I have never heard of to cannonball into my *LinkedIn comments* to attempt to slag my book. I'm both a reporter and a petty bitch, JAY.
comment from Jay Dixon: Your message was big about 10 years ago when the PE world was fighting the narrative. It's changed, hope you can find your place reply from Megan Greenwell: The book is a bestseller with a Kirkus star and a glowing review from the New York Times, so it seems like the message is still plenty big, but thanks for the unsolicited advice from someone I've never heard of whose book seems to have been read by approximately 12 people. Hope you can find your place!
October 10, 2025 at 6:55 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
Always check the primary source rather than relying on another journalist’s summary, exhibit 47,932. (NYMag on the left, actual survey on the right)
From NYMag: “A long-running survey by Sallie Mae and Ipsos captures the shift: In the mid-2010s, around 85 percent of parents and students said that college was an investment in the future; by 2024, just 56 percent felt that way. And only 41 percent said in 2024 they were willing to "stretch themselves financially to obtain the best opportunity for their future," versus nearly 60 percent a decade earlier.” The actual survey: 56% “strongly” agreed that college is an investment in the future, but another 32% “somewhat” agreed — for a total of 88%. 47% strongly agreed that they would stretch financially, plus 38% who somewhat agreed.
October 10, 2025 at 1:04 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
blocking anyone who texts me about this lady today, I have a feature to write!
bari, i have no desire to be involved here, but your synopsis of the events of 2004/2005 is unfair. you weren't simply "advocating for students' rights," you were calling professors racist. i know because i wrote or edited most of the stories about it. campus-watch.org/article/id/1585 Bari Weiss @bariweiss • Mar 7, 2018 I want to address a baseless accusation being peddled by @ggreenwald and others on this platform. When I was an undergraduate student at Columbia, I advocated for the rights of students to express their viewpoints in the classroom.
October 6, 2025 at 1:36 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
BAD COMPANY
Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream
bookshop.org/a/109816/978...
"There are 19,000 private equity funds in the US. There are 14,000 McDonald's in the US. How are there more private equity funds than McDonald's? That's actually crazy, right?" KKR & Co. partner Alisa Wood said Wednesday at Bloomberg's Women, Money and Power event in London. "Capital coming back is really important. The mark-to-market paper gains only take you so far."
October 2, 2025 at 10:16 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
The best part of traveling three weeks a month for five months has been making sure to build in time for Fancy Solo Business Trip Bar Dinner. My best life advice is Fancy Solo Business Trip Bar Dinner.
salmon crudo, a cocktail, a Steinbeck novel
September 30, 2025 at 11:59 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
saw a professional writer say online that he can’t remember the last time he read an entire book, felt compelled to bleach my brain with the best book ever written. (you have to read books in order to write well!!!!!!)
John Steinbeck’s East of Eden lying on a blanket in the grass on one of New York’s rare perfect weather days
September 20, 2025 at 8:59 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
What a thrill to get such a generous (double) shoutout from @tommytomlinson.bsky.social, who taught me so much about great narrative writing. If you’ve never read his profile of Rev. William Barber II, fix that. www.esquire.com/news-politic...
From Tommy Tomlinson’s newsletter: 3. Always great to see two friends come together! Megan Greenwell, author of the amazing book BAD. COMPANY, talks to Anna Sale of DEATH, SEX & MONEY about how_private_equity destroyed Megan's workplace-and the workplaces of so many other Americans. 4. Megan also dug into the nitty gritty of writing her book for Nieman Storyboard-this is especially good if you want to understand the time and effort it takes to put a book together. Plus you can see an annotated version of the first chapter.
September 20, 2025 at 4:27 PM
greenwell.bsky.social
A lot of people have seized on how much work it took to find my four BAD COMPANY protagonists, so it was fun to talk to @niemanstoryboard.org about it. imo narrative work absolutely requires putting in the effort/time to find the right characters. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/19/m...
I knew I needed people who readers were going to want to spend a lot of time with. I had three characters in the proposal but four in the book. One from the proposal ended up in the book. I did so much grunt work to find them. A lot of Linkedin searching for people who had previously worked at various companies. A ton of scouring Facebook groups and Reddit, and talking to nonprofit groups to see who they recommended. I was trying to plumb every possible avenue. I talked to a little over 300 people for the book as a whole, and almost 150 of those were potential protagonists.
September 19, 2025 at 10:51 PM