Private Equity Stakeholder Project
@pestakeholder.bsky.social
93 followers 2 following 76 posts
Uplifting the voices of workers, communities, tenants, and others impacted by private equity. Est 2017.
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pestakeholder.bsky.social
With today’s Minnesota PUC decision approving BlackRock’s takeover of Minnesota Power, BlackRock wins—Minnesota loses.

➡️ Read our full statement: pestakeholder.org/news/mn-puc-...
pestakeholder.bsky.social
Minnesotans have spoken: No to BlackRock.

Experts, the public, and the state’s Administrative Law Judge all agree this deal is bad for Minnesota.

On Oct 3, the PUC must listen to the people they serve — and deny the takeover.

pestakeholder.org/news/minneso...
pestakeholder.bsky.social
“There’s a lot of energy from private companies convincing schools that outsourcing will be cheaper, will make it so that schools have less to manage,” Azani Creeks, senior coordinator at PESP, told The Lever, but “outsourcing often costs the same amount, if not more, than keeping services in-house.
Private Equity’s New Playground: America’s Schools
Under the guise of championing “school choice,” the new school voucher program will likely divert millions in taxpayer dollars to private equity firms.
www.levernews.com
pestakeholder.bsky.social
BlackRock’s bid for Minnesota Power could raise bills & undermine MN’s clean energy goals.

In her new Minnesota Reformer op-ed, @alissajean.bsky.social asks: Will Gov. Walz stand with Minnesotans — or with BlackRock?

🔗 minnesotareformer.com/2025/10/01/d...
pestakeholder.bsky.social
🚨 PRIVATE EQUITY ALERT 🚨 Electronic Arts, the developer behind Madden NFL and The Sims, is set to be acquired in the largest private equity buyout ever. As gamers bemoan more and more micro-transactions and in-game advertising, PE's profits-first playbook could spell out even more to come.
Video gamer Electronic Arts to be acquired for $52.5 billion in largest-ever private equity buyout
Electronic Arts, the video game maker, is being acquired and taken private for about $52.5 billion in what could become the largest-ever buyout funded by private-equity firms.
apnews.com
pestakeholder.bsky.social
Seen in St. Paul for yesterday's regulatory hearing: “Reject the BlackRock takeover. Put people before profit.” The message is clear—PUC must listen to Minnesotans, not BlackRock.
pestakeholder.bsky.social
Minnesota residents deserve protection from Wall Street greed.
the MN Utility Commission must put ratepayers before BlackRock profits.

Op-ed by PESP's Alissa Jean Schafer: www.duluthnewstribune.com/opinion/colu...
pestakeholder.bsky.social
In Minnesota, BlackRock is attempting to acquire MN Power, a utility serving 150,000+ families and businesses. PESP's Alissa Jean Schafer told More Perfect Union why ratepayers should be wary of private equity plugging into the electrical grid: the PE playbook puts profiteering above all else.
The BlackRock Situation Just Got Worse...
BlackRock is trying to buy Minnesota Power, which provides power to over 150,000 people. Why? They want to profit off of the soaring electricity demand from AI data centers. If they win, and if it's…
www.youtube.com
pestakeholder.bsky.social
This year, lawmakers in over a dozen states took aim at private equity’s risks in healthcare.

✅ 6 states passed oversight laws
⚖️ 5 still debating
❌ Industry lobbyists stalled progress in others

Read PESP’s full roundup ➡️
PESP state healthcare policy roundup
2025 has seen a frenzy of state legislative activity in which lawmakers in over a dozen states have proposed and debated bills aimed at bringing greater oversight and transparency to healthcare…
pestakeholder.org
pestakeholder.bsky.social
Like Joann’s, Red Lobster, Bed Bath & Beyond, and other private equity-owned retailers that went bankrupt before it, Claire’s appears to have been unable to bear the load of the significant amount of debt incurred by its first private equity owner, Apollo. pestakeholder.org/news/how-the...
How the PE playbook pierced Claire’s
Last month, tween jewelry retailer Claire’s filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time after a relatively long history with private equity.
pestakeholder.org
pestakeholder.bsky.social
PESP's Azani Creeks joined @manpreetkalra.bsky.social to unpack how private equity–backed companies like GardaWorld stand to profit immensely from immigrant detention in the wake of the Big Beautiful Bill, despite a long record of whistleblowers exposing abuses inside their facilities. Listen here ➡️
Big Beautiful Bill: How Private Equity is Profiting from Immigrant Detention | Art of Citizenry
In this episode of the Art of Citizenry Podcast, we speak with Private Equity Stakeholder Project about how HR 1 funnels $170B into detention, fueling private equity profits. Tune in now!
www.artofcitizenry.com
pestakeholder.bsky.social
August was a wake-up call: Genesis Healthcare went bankrupt, Weiss Memorial Hospital shut, UnitedHealth quietly swallowed the largest private GI group, and a Senate report exposed how PE profiteering undermines care in CT hospitals.

Don’t miss the full roundup: pestakeholder.org/news/private...
Private Equity in Healthcare – PESP’s August 2025 Roundup
Each month, PESP’s Healthcare Team will be putting together a roundup that shares the latest news stories related to private equity in healthcare and highlights the work that our team has published…
pestakeholder.org
pestakeholder.bsky.social
Big news: The Guardian covers how BlackRock’s takeover of Minnesota Power threatens higher rates + stalled clean energy progress

“This could 'open the floodgates' for private equity firms eyeing utilities.” – PESP

Read: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Critics say BlackRock’s Minnesota utility bid will increase rates – and clean energy goals will suffer
Sale opponents say private equity’s profit-seeking is at odds with reasonable rates and state’s goal to decarbonize
www.theguardian.com
pestakeholder.bsky.social
Wall Street is at it again.

Private equity’s new “Council for a Safe and Secure Retirement” is a dark money push to unlock 401(k) access. The same operatives ran Doctor Patient Unity, the ad blitz condemned across the aisle for misleading the public.

📖 pestakeholder.org/news/private...
pestakeholder.bsky.social
In Duluth today, Minnesotans sent a clear message:
🚫 Wall Street should not control our utilities. 📺 Watch: www.facebook.com/watch/live/?...