Negotiation, taken apart.
Real cases from business and politics, read the way a negotiator reads them: what each side traded, what the deadline did, and what you can take to your own table.
Musk and Twitter: the cost of walking away late
Elon Musk signed to buy Twitter, tried to walk, got sued and closed at the original price. Four lessons on negotiating your conditions before you sign.
How to respond to a lowball offer
A lowball offer is a test, not a verdict. Why people make them, what reacting costs you, and three moves that put the number back where it belongs.
Microsoft–Activision: how to negotiate with a regulator
The UK's CMA blocked Microsoft's USD 68.7bn Activision deal in April 2023 and cleared it in October. Four lessons for negotiating with a mandate.
Who names the first number? Anchoring, and when to go first
Should you make the first offer? How anchoring pulls a negotiation toward the first number, when to name yours, when to wait, and how to reset.
The 2024 Boeing strike: what each of four offers taught
Boeing's machinists rejected a deal their own leaders recommended, struck for 53 days and took the fourth offer. Four lessons on who really has to say yes.
How to prepare for a negotiation: the one-page plan
Most negotiations are decided before anyone sits down. A preparation plan that fits on one page, with a worked example of a vendor renewal.
Two months, not six: what the US–China truce extension teaches about deadlines
Washington and Beijing extended their trade truce by two months instead of the expected six. Four lessons on deadlines, verification and linkage.
Reading is the lecture. The live table is the test.
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