system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do “hostile takeovers” work? Is there anything stopping Jeff Bezos from just buying everything?
gpt
Normally, when one company wants to buy another, management approaches the target and they begin discussions. If the target does not want to sell for whatever reason, they can tell the acquirer to go pound sand. If the acquirer really wants to, they can do a hostile takeover if the target is publicly traded and get the financial backing in place and go to the public markets and just start buying large blocks of stock. Once they own enough, they can get a board seat and influence the target or just keep buying and force them to give in.