Kraft Heinz Needs to Plug the Leaks

It's not like Warren Buffett to have a deal crumble faster than investors could even say "Kreinzlever" -- or whatever the merger of Kraft Heinz Co. and Unilever would have been called.

Part of the reason Kraft Heinz's $143 billion bid (backed by Buffett and 3G Capital) never got off the ground was reportedly because word of the transaction seeped out to the public too soon. It tripped up their ability to negotiate a friendly deal with Unilever as M&A leaks often do, catching the target off guard and putting it on the defensive. While there are cases where trickling out information can help dealmakers gauge the potential market reaction to offbeat merger ideas, leaks were Kraft Heinz's worst enemy this time around. (Hmm, where have we heard that before?)