Family offices back durable, asset-heavy bets to dodge AI disruption
Equity Group Investments, backed by Sam Zell’s family, bets on asset-heavy, old-economy businesses—such as John Deere dealerships, tuna farming/fishing, and a cross-border bridge—to resist AI disruption. With long investment horizons and tax benefits from bonus depreciation, the firm seeks steady cash flow and geographic moats, while traditional private equity favors shorter-horizon, asset-light bets, even as inbound interest grows from business owners facing tariffs and inflation.
