Concept · Governance & Ownership
Tag-Along Rights
Origin: VC term
The Biological Bridge
This business construct is human-invented, but the outcome it's trying to achieve has deep biological roots.
Surface Construct
Minority shareholders can join any sale that majority shareholders negotiate
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Underlying Outcome
No group member left behind when the group moves - information and opportunity flow to all
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Biological Mechanism
Alarm call systems in social animals. When a vervet monkey spots a leopard, it CANNOT privately flee - the alarm call mechanism ensures all group members receive the same survival-critical information. The caller pays a cost (attracting predator attention) but the system ensures no member is abandoned.
Key Insight: Both protect minority members from being exploited by those with better information or position. The group's survival depends on no one being left behind.
The Full Picture
Alarm call systems in social animals. When a vervet monkey spots a leopard, it CANNOT privately flee - the alarm call mechanism ensures all group members receive the same survival-critical information. The caller pays a cost (attracting predator attention) but the system ensures no member is abandoned. Both protect minority members from being exploited by those with better information or position. The group's survival depends on no one being left behind.