Ari Emanuel Receives $174M Payout From Silver Lake in Endeavor Take-Private

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Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, co-founders of Endeavor, received substantial cash payouts amounting to nine figures as part of Silver Lake’s acquisition of the company. However, they plan to transfer the majority of their shares to the new private venture.

Emanuel previously served as CEO at Endeavor, but later assumed the role of Executive Chairman during the company’s buyout. On the other hand, Whitesell held the position of Executive Chairman, and is now stepping down to start a new business that Silver Lake will fund.

According to SEC documents filed this week regarding the transaction, Emanuel and a trust belonging to him received a $174 million payment associated with the deal. Additionally, Emanuel will transfer over $290 million in equity into the newly-formed private company, an increase of $26 million compared to his initial agreement.

As a die-hard enthusiast, let me share some exciting news about Whitesell: he’s just scored a whopping $100 million cash payout, and he’s decided to keep almost $266 million in stock – that’s a $50 million increase compared to what he initially agreed on last year!

Mark Shapiro, appointed as both President and Managing Partner at WME Group following the agreement, is additionally transferring a substantial portion of his shares.

On Monday, Silver Lake finalized its $25 billion acquisition of Endeavor, purchasing shares at $27.50 for those they didn’t already own. This private takeover signaled the end of Endeavor’s nearly four-year public market tenure. However, Silver Lake will maintain a majority ownership in TKO Group Holdings, a publicly-traded company that owns UFC and WWE. Emanuel serves as CEO at TKO, with Shapiro holding the positions of president and COO.

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2025-03-24 21:54