Louis Lehot Featured for Insights on Evolution of Dealmaking
Foley & Lardner LLP partner Louis Lehot highlighted the evolution of dealmaking in the Silicon Valley Business Journal article, “The Old Playbook Doesn’t Work Anymore.”
Lehot shared that dealmaking has increasingly become intertwined with talent strategy, noting how since the mid-200s, major technology companies have acquired emerging companies with a focus on inheriting their teams of engineers to scale quicker than a traditional hiring process allows for.
“Investors might get some return, and the engineers join the buyer — this is how the companies scaled so fast,” he commented.
Lehot also explained the ‘blitzhire’ phenomenon, a novel structure that sees an acquirer take a non-exclusive license to a company’s intellectual property while bringing in their engineering team, helping deals move more quickly. He emphasized that for founders, balancing growth and liquidity is a strategic art.
“The blitzhire is going to be a trend we see a lot more of in 2026,” Lehot added.
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