system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How does a public company go private? Don't they have to convince all shareholders to sell back their shares?
gpt
There is a threshold for the % of shares to be owned by a majority shareholder before they can force minority shareholders into selling. 

This may be detailed in the company’s articles of association or in the relevant law for that country. 

But in short they need to gain sufficient shares in the company, either by buying those on the open market or buy convincing existing investors to sell their large stake. 

Normally these offers to buy shares are above the stock price the company was trading at before the takeover started so the minority is still getting a reasonable deal, just less than they feel the company is worth.