Carl Icahn Takeover Mogul

Ah the old days.

You know how it is to long for the old days don't you?

We love to look back at times long past and reminisce fondly about how great things were.

The music ... the food ... the back seats of big old cars at the drive-in!

And it's certainly no different in the world of the Business Mogul.

Nostalgia Reigns Supreme

So when I watch the news and read business publications and see things like:

• Unsolicited takeover offer

• Proxy fight

• Poison pills

It takes me way back ... to the wild and wooly 1980's.

The decade of greed.

The decade of Takeover Moguls.

The decade of Wall Street.

Where Have They All Gone?

Many top names from that decade are no longer front and center:

• Michael Milken, the Junk-bond Mogul and financier superb

• Ron Perlman - Business Mogul that captured Revlon in a hostile takeover

• Henry Kravis and George Roberts - rulers of the private equity kingdom, KKR, that managed to buy RJR Nabisco in the then largest leveraged buyout ever

• Carl Icahn - 1980's Takeover Mogul and green-mailer superb. He landed his biggest prey when he managed to capture TWA airlines ... for better or worse

All of the above-listed are still alive and kicking. All are billionaires for sure. But only one has managed to remain a significant public figure twenty years later.

That would be business mogul Carl Icahn of course!

The Reign Of Mogul Icahn

And just what is Mogul Icahn up to these days?

Well in the last couple of years, he has taken runs at the following companies in order to force them to increase shareholder value, i.e. the stock price, via various strategic moves:

• Time Warner - Richard Parsons was the Mogul in charge

• Motorola - a sagging stock price forced them to eventually get a new head Mogul

• Yahoo - Icahn stepped in when Microsoft backed off

That last one is of particular interest.

It pits Icahn against New Media Mogul Jerry Yang.

In a nutshell, Icahn wants to force up the stock price by taking over Yahoo's board of directors. With the board in hand, he can then make the moves that will make him and, supposedly, the other shareholders a lot of money.

The Icahn Dossier

I thought you might wish to know a little more about this alleged protector of shareholder wealth.

So here's a brief dossier.

Carl Icahn

Born: Carl Celian Icahn, 1936

Bio: Billionaire Mogul that made his name in the 1980's with takeover attempts against large firms

Net Worth: $14,000,000,000

Claim to Fame: Captured TWA in 1985 hostile takeover

Legacy: Labeled as ruthless in his pursuit of profits ... but is unrepentant and has made a fortune doing it

So do you think this Mogul Icahn land his Yahoo prey?

Is it good for Yahoo or is another alternative better?

I guess time will only tell!

When it comes to Mogul Fights, I just grab some popcorn, sit back, and watch the fireworks!

Listen To Emerging Growth Moguls Tell Their Stories In Our Podcast Series!

Who knows, maybe I've interviewed an up-and-coming Carl Icahn!