Ed Hammond and New York bureau chief Jason Kelly are joined by private equity reporter Melissa Mittelman to discuss the challenges facing the buyout industry as it looks to put $1.7 trillion of dry powder to work in a deal market characterized by record high valuations and M&A-hungry corporations. The three look at big existential questions, such as: can private equity funds continue as financial engineers or must they morph into savvy operations, are we nearing an era of ill-disciplined buying, and when will Warren Buffett stop complaining and start acquiring? Finally, Jason and Ed focus on Qualcomm's social media efforts to fend off Broadcom's $117 billion takeover offer.

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