As a couple other replies have mentioned, determining insolvency and when to file bankruptcy is a bit more complicated than this simple comparison. A quick counterpoint - you start a company on Day 1 and put $1 into the company; on Day 2, you borrow $10, but with the costs associated with borrowing, you only net $8 cash; at that point, you have outstanding debt (liabilities) of $10, but cash (assets) of $9; your new company is not insolvent, however - you can take that $9 and generate additional cash flows that allow you to repay the $10 debt in the future. While certainly not common, there are plenty of companies operating that have negative equity - it certainly is an indicator of a company having some challenges, but not an absolute that the company should be dissolved.