One of the first repercussions is likely to be layoffs. Employees affected by mergers and acquisitions may face job loss, changes in leadership, revised benefits, and cultural shifts. Redundant roles often lead to layoffs, primarily at the target company.
In an asset sale, employees that leave the seller and go to work for the buyer are considered new employees of the buyer. Service with the seller is generally not automatically recognized, which can cause some PR challenges.
The biggest difference is that an SPA is the sale of all shares, and an APA is the sale of selected assets. Therefore, they are both different transactions and have different procedures.