Private Equity Under Pressure with Dan Rasmussen | Capitalisn’t

Private equity firms promise to “unlock value.” But who really wins when they buy out companies, load them with debt, and restructure jobs? In this episode of Capitalisn’t, Bethany McLean and Luigi Zingales sit down with Dan Rasmussen, founder of the investment firm Verdad which manages over a billion dollars, and author of The Humble Investor and American Uprising, to unpack how private equity shapes our economy, who benefits, and who pays the price. Subscribe to @Capitalisn’t for more deep dives into what is working and what is not in capitalism. Catch Bethany and Luigi’s post-interview reflections only in the audio version, available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more at https://www.capitalisnt.com/ Timestamps 00:00 - The Rise and Reckoning of Private Equity 02:03 - Private Equity: Small, Risky, and Overhyped? 06:58 - Why Private Equity ‘Discounts’ Don’t Exist Anymore 11:36 - Does Private Equity Really Improve Companies? 14:27 - Leverage Cuts Both Ways 18:11 - Why Private Equity Can’t Sell Its Deals 22:17 - The Triple Threat Hitting Private Equity 25:00 - When Private Equity Sells to Itself 26:57 - Why Public Markets Don’t Trust Private Equity NAVs 30:39 - Why PE wants your retirement money 37:52 - Wall Street’s incentives to push private equity

Added 29 Aug 2026