Endeavor is now a privately held company owned by Silver Lake, a global private equity firm, which completed the acquisition of all outstanding shares of Endeavor Group Holdings not already under its control in March 2025[1][3][5][7]. Prior to this acquisition, Silver Lake was already the majority shareholder, and the take-private deal valued Endeavor and its holdings—including a controlling stake in TKO Group Holdings (parent of UFC and WWE)—at approximately $25 billion[1][5].
Endeavor’s top executives, such as co-founder and CEO Ari Emanuel and longtime executive Patrick Whitesell, continue to hold significant economic interests and leadership roles in the company. Following privatization, Emanuel serves as Executive Chairman, and Mark Shapiro as President and Managing Partner of the new WME Group (formerly Endeavor), while Whitesell is leaving to start a new venture in partnership with Silver Lake[3][4][5].
Under the new ownership, Silver Lake and its co-investors fully control Endeavor, while certain shares held by management and insiders (including rolled equity) continue to represent an ongoing interest in the private company[4][7].
References
- [1] Endeavor’s $25B Next Act: Why the Sports Giant Is Going Private
- [3] Endeavor goes private, TKO remains public and unchanged
- [4] Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (EDR) History – dcfmodeling.com
- [5] Endeavor officially goes private as Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell change roles
- [7] Endeavor announces completion of acquisition by Silver Lake
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