Blackstone Founder Roger Dahle on Acquiring Weber and Navigating Tariffs and Antitrust

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Roger Dahle, CEO of Weber Blackstone, recently appeared on The Verge's Decoder podcast to discuss how his company came to acquire the iconic Weber grill brand. Dahle founded Blackstone, a flat-top griddle company, in 2008, and the brand surged in popularity during the pandemic after smashburger videos went viral on TikTok. The acquisition of Weber — a legacy grilling company that had struggled in recent years — was delayed for some time due to an antitrust review by the Federal Trade Commission. Dahle discussed the challenges of manufacturing overseas and importing products amid high tariffs, as well as efforts to break down internal silos at Weber and build a unified company culture. The conversation also touched on how semiconductor shortages are affecting Weber's connected thermometer product line.

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