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A merger is hard to pull off under any circumstances. It's harder when everybody is against you.

You can't not approve a merger because you don't like the companies' politics. That's just not right.

Today's merger makers are not ad people; they're building communications companies.

Mergers are like marriages. They are the bringing together of two individuals. If you wouldn't marry someone for the 'operational efficiencies' they offer in the running of a household, then why would you combine two companies with unique cultures and identities for that reason?

Typical mergers happen when there are two competitors coming together, and they reduce overhead.

Companies buy customers when they cannot win new business on their own. They merge when their executives do not have a better idea of what to do.

The merger mania which goes on and on and on is the sign of the disappearance of competition. As we deregulate, the mergers increase, which means there's less and less competition. At the national level, at the regional level, but also at the international level.

Mergers generate substantial synergies.

You're doing a major merger, you got to hope you didn't get it wrong. That's the view of any CEO.

I've been through a couple of mergers - they're not that fun. And it's easy to lose your focus on this grandiose mission you established for yourself as an independent company.