Herding Squirrels Ep 22
w Anne Marie Mills
Why Acquisitions Lose Their Best People Before the Year Is Up
Episode Overview
What actually happens to people after an acquisition closes? Anne-Marie Mills has lived it twice — first as HR lead when Algorithmia was acquired in 2021, and again in a more recent transition spanning teams from Seattle to Eastern Africa. In this episode, Anne-Marie walks through both experiences with real honesty: the early excitement, the culture shock six months in, the attrition nobody stopped, and what she wished leadership had done differently. If you work in people operations, run a team through any kind of organizational change, or have ever wondered why the talent you acquired seems to quietly disappear, this conversation is the post-mortem you didn't know you needed.
Timestamps
[00:01:03] Anne-Marie builds her LEGO model — a bridge, a flower, a slide, and a ladder out — representing the arc of the Algorithmia acquisition from excitement to attrition
[00:05:05] Six months in: when the adrenaline fades, the culture difference hits, and people start asking whether they actually fit
[00:06:41] Going from 55 people to an 1,800-person company — and what it feels like to realize you're a drop in the bucket
[00:09:07] What Anne-Marie would have done differently: the culture conversation that never happened and the talented engineers who left because of it
[00:13:51] Communication as the first defense against attrition — and why people can't hear anything until one question gets answered first
[00:17:44] The ticking time bomb: balancing deal deadlines against the time people actually need to process a life-changing decision
[00:21:12] Building space for people across 12 time zones — early morning office hours, anonymous Q&A forms, and meeting people where they ask
[00:24:00] Leading through constant change: why there is no single answer and why Maslow still applies
[00:27:13] The question every change leader should be asking at the six-week mark — even when everything looks fine
Notable Quotes
"We all understood that culture is what makes M&A successful. But unless you address the culture, you will lose the people — and with the people, the knowledge that they have."
"I sometimes feel like I have to remind leaders that you've hired adults. If you give people information and treat them like adults, they can help make the process better."
"It's impossible to manage change if you don't feel like you have something to stand on."
"What's the message that I'm not sure landed yesterday or last month? And how can I make that message clear tomorrow?"
About Anne-Marie
Anne-Marie Mills is an Indianapolis-based Head of People who brings a rocket scientist's precision to human systems. Her career began at Boeing as an aerospace engineer working on satellites and military aircraft before a Vanderbilt MBA and time at Deloitte Consulting pointed her toward HR leadership. She has led People operations for high-growth AI and FinTech startups including Algorithmia and Scratch Financial, and has managed complex people transitions for organizations ranging from 55 to over 3,000 employees. Outside of work, Anne-Marie is a passionate advocate for diversity in STEM and has visited all 7 continents and all 50 states.
Find Anne-Marie on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/anne-marie-mills
About Herding Squirrels
Thank you for joining us on Herding Squirrels, where we uncover the nuts and bolts of change. New episodes drop every two weeks. Subscribe wherever you listen, and if this conversation was useful, leave us a review.
Other Episodes:
Herding Squirrels Ep 14 w Adam Tal
Herding Squirrels Ep 13 w Oliver Gray
Herding Squirrels Ep 12 w Louie Celiberti
Herding Squirrels Ep 11 w Nicole Tibaldi
