It's more nuanced. A company being "bought" means that an acquirer actively sought them out because they were such an attractive target. This is the best positi

It's more nuanced. A company being "bought" means that an acquirer actively sought them out because they were such an attractive target. This is the best position to be in. A company being "sold" means that they don't have active interest and instead offer themselves up as a last resort for whatever price they can get. Usually everything is liquidated at the absolute minimum to avoid completely shutting down the company and still marking it as an "exit" on the investors books.