Facebook set to go public on May 17, valued at $100 billion

Shawn Knight

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Facebook is planning to go public on May 17 according to multiple sources, granted the social network is able to get all of the necessary paperwork through the Securities and Exchange Commission in time. There’s little doubt that Zuckerberg’s company is already well into the process but the acquisition of Instagram that took place last week could potentially slow matters down.

The news backs up earlier reports that said the company would hit the stock market during the third week of May. Furthermore, the company is still expected to be valued at around $100 billion with hopes of raising roughly $10 billion based on that valuation. Many are saying that this is the most anticipated stock offering since Google went public some eight years ago.

The NY Times recently reported that during the talks to acquire Instagram, a value of $104 billion was discussed. This would put share prices around $40 each with 2.51 billion fully-diluted shares outstanding. Such an IPO would put Facebook in the same category as Amazon, McDonalds and Visa.

Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are said to have pushed up the Millennial Media IPO to early April to “make room” for Facebook in May.

There’s still roughly one month left and anything could happen between now and then to alter the IPO date. Should the deal go through at the discussed $104 billion, the company would be worth more than LinkedIn, Groupon, Twitter and Zynga combined.

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Great artcile in WIRED this month about IPOs, and this one in paticular. Key points.... Facebook is sort of being forced to go public because current law dictates that a company must go public if they have more than 500 investors. Also, Zuckerberg really doesn't want to do this, because he's essentially selling off a large part of the company. He will still hold 56% of the shares, but that's less ownership than he has right now.
 
I'm curious to see if FB has any real lasting power. Technology is evolving at a crazy pace - it wasn't that long ago that America Online, Prodigy, CompuServe and MySpace were kings of social networking and we all know where those companies are now. Just as soon as anything becomes the new "hot and hip" application, there's another one right behind it ready to shove it off a cliff.

Be interesting to see where FB is 5 years from now. In the meantime, I think I'll use my stock investment money elsewhere. ;)
 
I'm curious to see if FB has any real lasting power. Technology is evolving at a crazy pace - it wasn't that long ago that America Online, Prodigy, CompuServe and MySpace were kings of social networking and we all know where those companies are now. Just as soon as anything becomes the new "hot and hip" application, there's another one right behind it ready to shove it off a cliff.

Be interesting to see where FB is 5 years from now. In the meantime, I think I'll use my stock investment money elsewhere. ;)
Might be around for a while. Media and businesses make more use of it than those past social kings :p
 
@Shawn
I was wondering if there is any study showing what impact FB is having on business?

I distinctly remember reading an article somewhere that FB isn't interested in search, however, despite my disliking of FB, I think if it decides to get into search, the biggest looser would be Google, so what are the odds of it not happening? I think in next few years there may be some surprises awaiting us.
 
In all honesty myspace is dead, Google+ isnt all that great, and people are finally realizing FB is the same way. Iv noticed status updates DROP in frequency. FB might get a nice little bump when it goes public but i dont see it gaining much ground after that. Im sure businesses invested in FB will try to prevent it but... its already started. TBH once FB dies or gets close to it, ill proly just quit social networking altogether. I hardly even check FB as it is. I might still use it now and then to keep in touch with distant friends.
 
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