Barbarians at the Gate

"Barbarians at the Gate" refers to the leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco, a major American food and tobacco company, in the late 1980s. The deal became infamous for its scale and competitiveness among private equity firms. It highlights themes of corporate greed, power struggles, and the impact of financial speculation. The term symbolizes outside investors ("barbarians") challenging established management and traditional corporate values. The saga, detailed in a bestselling book, illustrates the complexities of mergers and acquisitions and the clash between Wall Street and corporate America during a transformative period in business history.