Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream

Join us for a conversation with journalist Megan Greenwell about her book, Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream. Tracing the experiences of a Toys “R” Us floor supervisor, a rural doctor, a local journalist, and a housing organizer, and complementing this with a deep understanding of the history of economic and political ideas, Greenwell shows how multibillion-dollar private equity firms quietly shape our hospitals, media, housing, and more— with devastating consequences for workers and communities. This talk will examine how private equity interacts with public policy and regulation, what it reveals about gaps in oversight and market governance, and how policymakers, researchers, and civil society might respond to the financialization of everyday life.

About Greenwell:

Megan Greenwell is a journalist with extensive experience in all areas of print and digital media. She is particularly passionate about narrative features, exploring new revenue models for journalism, leading teams working across platforms, collaborations between text-based and visual storytellers, and diversifying newsrooms. She writes features about business, public policy, sports, and other topics. Megan also volunteers as the deputy director of the Princeton Summer Journalism Program, a workshop and college access initiative for first-generation and low-income high school students. In her most recent full-time job, Megan worked as the editor of Wired.com and interim editor-in-chief of WIRED, overseeing the publication’s transition to a global newsroom. In previous roles, she served as editor-in-chief of Deadspin, launched digital features programs at Esquire and New York magazine's The Cut, edited investigations and narrative features for ESPN the Magazine, and covered the war in Iraq from Baghdad for The Washington Post.