Decoder with Nilay Patel · Monday, June 29, 2026
Roger Dolly, CEO of Weber Blackstone, detailed his journey from founding Blackstone in 2008 to its eventual merger with Weber. He explained that the process involved multiple financial stages, including an attempted SPAC and private equity involvement, before the merger with Weber was finalized in May 2025 after an FTC antitrust review.
“So we came to an agreement in '24. End of '24, and then we had to go through anti-trust process with the FTC and that took until May of '25. So we've been merged together now for just barely over a year.”
“It wasn't easy deal. Unfortunately, for us, we signed our agreement in December and that's when the clock started ticking with the FTC.”
“The competition is always there. And the other thing about our industry as an outdoor cooking, every major retailer has its own in-house brand, private label.”