Activist hedge funds managers--the type that some still liken to raiders--and the management of their target companies really aren't all that far apart in the big picture. Here's a good example: Dick Parsons is now praising Carl Icahn for motivating the company. Icahn and other hedge funds bought a nearly 3 percent stake in Time Warner and waged a battle, ultimately unsuccessful, to force change. Their efforts, however, succeeded in this regard: The stock rose by 28 percent. Parsons made about $35 million on paper. Icahn fared even better, making more than $200 million. Wall Street seems like one big party sometimes. Everybody wins. The anger seems to have dissipated.

For more:
- Here's an article from the New York Post
- The strategy behind the success. Article