美泰通过邀请一位不安分的股东进来一起玩，挫败了这些股东。就在Semafor报道投资者东南资产管理公司正准备发起董事会争夺战的数小时后，这家玩具制造商表示，已与另一位大股东EdgePoint Investment Group签署合作协议，将这家加拿大公司的一位高级合伙人引入其董事会。
Mattel thwarted restive shareholders by inviting one of them to come inside and play. Hours after Semafor reported that investor Southeastern Asset Management was preparing a boardroom fight, the toymaker said it had signed a cooperation agreement with another of its big investors, EdgePoint Investment Group, to put one of the Canadian firm’s top partners on its board.
通过将EdgePoint引入董事会，美泰确保了18%的股份掌握在友好一方手中。这化解了东南资产管理公司以及其他投资者带来的威胁，其中包括约翰·罗杰斯的Ariel Investments，后者一直推动出售公司。这并非万无一失，但只是一个开始。记分牌：美泰，1分。激进投资者，0分。
By bringing EdgePoint into the boardroom, Mattel secures an 18% stockholding in friendly hands. That neutralizes the threats brought on by Southeastern and other investors, including John Rogers’ Ariel Investments, which has pushed for a sale. It’s not a failsafe, but a start. Scoreboard: Mattel, 1. Activists, 0.