As we enter the fourth quarter, we look to where M&A stands and how dealmakers can finish strong. We also explore how AI is rewriting the traditional M&A playbook: success no longer comes from scale alone, but from building intelligent platforms and capabilities that compound over time to drive growth. Benjamin Houssard, Kameron Kordestani, Alex Liu, and Tobias Lundberg walk through how to leverage AI to turn a series of transactions into a self-reinforcing growth engine.

Related insights

2026 M&A trends: Navigating a rapidly rebounding market

Technology M&A: AI enters its industrial phase

Five steps to strengthen M&A capabilities, no matter the starting point

Gen AI in M&A: From theory to practice to high performance

Advanced industries: Geopolitics, economics, and technology drive M&A

Culture in M&A

Using M&A to launch a transformation

As we enter the fourth quarter, we look to where M&amp;A stands and how dealmakers can finish strong. We also explore how AI is rewriting the traditional M&amp;A playbook: success no longer comes from scale alone, but from building intelligent platforms and capabilities that compound over time to drive growth. <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/benjamin-houssard?cid=cl4c-cml&amp;sid=%7b%7blead.SFDC%20Id:default=CL4C%7d%7d">Benjamin Houssard</a>, <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fkameronkordestani%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7CClare_Kitada-SYDN%40external.mckinsey.com%7C1185d76734c84e6ba02a08df1f06e638%7Ccc8936bc93824fff87cb6f55999549e7%7C0%7C0%7C639263786669490784%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=U6lvMeK4p%2FIbHkg%2BxvXK7o6iErUkoOrlYSpEoP47zaM%3D&amp;reserved=0">Kameron Kordestani</a>, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/alex-liu?cid=cl4c-cml&amp;sid=%7b%7blead.SFDC%20Id:default=CL4C%7d%7d">Alex Liu</a>, and <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/tobias-lundberg">Tobias Lundberg</a> walk through how to leverage AI to turn a series of transactions into a self-reinforcing growth engine.
Related insights
<a href="https://prod.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/top-m-and-a-trends">2026 M&amp;A trends: Navigating a rapidly rebounding market</a>
<a href="https://prod.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/technology-m-and-a-ai-enters-its-industrial-phase">Technology M&amp;A: AI enters its industrial phase</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/five-steps-to-strengthen-m-and-a-capabilities-no-matter-the-starting-point">Five steps to strengthen M&amp;A capabilities, no matter the starting point</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/gen-ai-in-m-and-a-from-theory-to-practice-to-high-performance">Gen AI in M&amp;A: From theory to practice to high performance</a>
<a href="https://prod.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/advanced-industries-geopolitics-economics-and-technology-drive-m-and-a">Advanced industries: Geopolitics, economics, and technology drive M&amp;A</a>
<a href="https://omny.fm/shows/inside-the-strategy-room/in-conversation-culture-in-m-a">Culture in M&amp;A</a>
<a href="https://omny.fm/shows/inside-the-strategy-room/192-using-m-a-to-launch-a-transformation">Using M&amp;A to launch a transformation</a>

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The world is moving faster, and as upheaval becomes the norm, vast business opportunities will be within the grasp of the extraordinary few.  But it takes bold people and courageous approaches to seize those opportunities and create value.

In each episode of our weekly podcast, we interview the world’s highest-performing CEOs, CFOs, innovators, and McKinsey experts and discuss how they build the courage, clarity, conviction, and cohesion that allow their businesses to win by moving faster than the world around them. 

The world is moving faster, and as upheaval becomes the norm, vast business opportunities will be within the grasp of the extraordinary few. &nbsp;But it takes bold people and courageous approaches to seize those opportunities and create value.
In each episode of our weekly podcast, we interview the world&rsquo;s highest-performing CEOs, CFOs, innovators, and McKinsey experts and discuss how they build the courage, clarity, conviction, and cohesion that allow their businesses to win by moving faster than the world around them.&nbsp;