Episode

Apollo Global Management’s Business Model Transformation

Podcast
Cold Call
Published
Nov 11, 2025
Duration seconds
1756
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://hbr.org/podcast/2025/11/apollo-global-managements-business-model-transformation
Audio
https://audio.hbr.org/cold-call/20251110114539-ApolloGlobalManagement_sBusinessModelTransformation.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/cold-call-634317/episodes/apollo-global-management-s-business-model-transformation
Markdown
/podcast/cold-call-634317/apollo-global-management-s-business-model-transformation.md

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Summary

Apollo Global Management has transformed itself from a traditional private equity giant into an insurance-fueled credit powerhouse—thanks to its acquisition of life annuity issuer Athene. CEO Marc Rowan makes a bold bet that an asset-heavy model, which is backed by hundreds of billions in long-term insurance liabilities, can drive repeatable, superior returns and propel Apollo’s assets under management to $1.5 trillion. However, public markets award Apollo a multitude on its earnings that is far lower than asset-light peers like Blackstone, which highlights important trade-offs. Harvard Business School professor George Serafeim joins host Brian Kenny to discuss the questions raised by the case, Apollo Global Management, and explore what Apollo’s transformation reveals about business-model innovation and risk management in today’s rapidly evolving private markets ecosystem, and what it means to be a modern investment firm.