#214960 - 29/04/2004 12:45
Google IPO now official
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
|
Some details here: www.google-ipo.com (an unofficial site with lots of pointers)
In a nutshell, it's finally going to happen. Some shares will be available through the usual brokerage process. Other shares will be offered through some kind of auction, possibly hosted on Google's web site. Specifics about how the auction would work have not been specified yet.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214961 - 29/04/2004 13:06
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: DWallach]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31565
Loc: Seattle, WA
|
Thanks very much for this information. Anyone wanna hazard a guess on how they'll do?
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214962 - 29/04/2004 14:41
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: tfabris]
|
old hand
Registered: 20/03/2002
Posts: 729
Loc: Palo Alto, CA
|
Taking into account the unbelievable amount of hype behind this IPO, I have no doubt that they'll do EXTREMELY well with it to start - or at least the lucky few who get in on it will do extremely well. Then it'll spend a considerable amount of time correcting itself. I think overall it'll be a great long-term investment after the dust settles. I also wish like hell I was one of the lucky few.
_________________________
- trs
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214963 - 29/04/2004 15:44
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: trs24]
|
pooh-bah
Registered: 25/08/2000
Posts: 2413
Loc: NH USA
|
Yeah, it's just so much easier to invest in a company that has real revenue & has met that silly little metric called profitable. I'm sure they'll do great.
-Zeke
_________________________
WWFSMD?
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214964 - 30/04/2004 06:19
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: DWallach]
|
pooh-bah
Registered: 09/09/2000
Posts: 2303
Loc: Richmond, VA
|
So an auction for selling IPO shares ... Doesn't that mean the market will set the share price PRIOR to the IPO opening (rather than the artificial price set by the underwriting company), so the price will probably not shoot up like other IPO's? Or will it open with an already inflated price and then proceed to inflate even more because people think that's what it should do?
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214965 - 30/04/2004 07:01
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: mschrag]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
|
...or deflate like a leaky balloon (or like AT&T Wireless) when people begin to think they have overpaid...
_________________________
Paul Grzelak 200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214966 - 30/04/2004 08:00
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: pgrzelak]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
|
The billion dollar question is exactly how the auction will work. They've been quite quiet on the exact specifics of how the auction will work. I generally agree that hype from clueless investors will push the auction price far above reality, after which there will be an unpleasant correction. I fully expect Google to settle in with some insane P/E ratio and to be extremely turbulent with respect to the rest of the market. I'm undecided on whether it would be a good long-term investment, not because the company may have problems, but because the stock price may be significantly divorced from the company's actual profits.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214967 - 02/05/2004 06:23
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: DWallach]
|
pooh-bah
Registered: 13/09/1999
Posts: 2401
Loc: Croatia
|
What do you guys think of Google's two-class share structure and not very positive reaction to that from some 'corporate governance experts'? I think that, if I were in Google founders' shoes, I would do something similar.
_________________________
Dragi "Bonzi" Raos
Q#5196
MkII #080000376, 18GB green
MkIIa #040103247, 60GB blue
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214968 - 02/05/2004 11:46
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: bonzi]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
|
It's hard to say, but I think the two-class stock thing is unnecessary. Even after selling billions of dollars of shares, the founders will still retain significant control over the companay. Furthermore, their "do no evil" mantra has actually resulted in much of what makes Google worthwhile, e.g., their keyword-based advertising program, their continued fight to maintain fair rankings, etc. If Google were, as a result of shareholder pressure, to suddenly become evil, then one of their competitors would probably snatch away their business, just like they did to AltaVista.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214969 - 06/06/2005 23:37
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: DWallach]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 05/01/2001
Posts: 4903
Loc: Detroit, MI USA
|
As of today, Google is worth over 80 billion dollars. That's more than the world's largest media company.
A search engine. Wow.
_________________________
Brad B.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214970 - 07/06/2005 04:55
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: SE_Sport_Driver]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 23/08/2000
Posts: 3826
Loc: SLC, UT, USA
|
Calling them just a search engine is short sighted. I caught the Charlie Rose interview with their CEO yesterday, and it was pretty fascinating. Their scope is just ridiculous. I can't relay all the things he talked about, but if you can catch a repeat or audio version it's worth watching/listening. But at any rate, they are/plan on being so much more than a search engine... that's just the prototype interface for everything else they are doing.
The most interesting thing he talked about to me at least, was the internal development structure. That place must be incredible to work at if you are hyper intelligent and at least a little motivated to do something that interests you.
Either way... 80 Billion. Jees.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214972 - 07/06/2005 11:21
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: loren]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12318
Loc: Sterling, VA
|
Quote: Calling them just a search engine is short sighted.
Woah, I'm sure he just meant it as something that started as a search engine. jeez.
They had the right idea, though. Offer a great product, and don't bombard the user with ads. Frankly, I don't think I've even once clicked on a Google ad on their site or anyone else's, but more power to 'em!
_________________________
Matt
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214973 - 07/06/2005 11:58
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: loren]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 05/01/2001
Posts: 4903
Loc: Detroit, MI USA
|
Yeah, I know they are more than "just" a search engine, but that's what they are to 90% of their users out there. They must have done something special (as I'm sure we all know) considering all of the other search engines that are struggling.
Stuff like this can just get kinda odd. I remember when Hughes Network Systems (owner of DirecTV and at the time, part of General Motors) was worth MORE than General Motors (even when GM included Hughes!). So, there was speculation that some company could buy all of GM, spin off Hughes and then sell GM for $1 and still make a profit because they bought Hughes for under market value. So a company with only a few million subscribors and a few dozen satellites was worth more than the biggest corporation in the world with millions of their products on the road.
Or when internet companies seemed like a "fad" until AOL bought TimeWarner. ![](/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif) I g uess that money is real huh? ![](/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif)
Edited by SE_Sport_Driver (07/06/2005 12:02)
_________________________
Brad B.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214974 - 07/06/2005 12:35
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: SE_Sport_Driver]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 27/06/1999
Posts: 7058
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
|
Quote: Or when internet companies seemed like a "fad" until AOL bought TimeWarner.
So how's that TWX stock looking these days?
I think it's safe to say that Internet companies are still a fad, as far as investing goes. Google is in the exosphere right now, but the way our economy is right now, a well-slung rock could take their stock down to double digits.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214975 - 07/06/2005 13:40
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: Dignan]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2858
Loc: Atlanta, GA
|
Quote: They had the right idea, though. Offer a great product, and don't bombard the user with ads.
and KEEP IT SIMPLE. In fact, I think that's been one of the biggest keys to their success. Check out the difference between the yahoo and google entry pages. Google has what, 16 words on it? Of course, you're always just one click away from all of the other stuff, but even that page is cleaner.
Google may have targeted ads and a great method of ranking results, but in the end I think they've become popular with the masses by not confusing them with information overload. You have to think for a few seconds about what you want to do at other sites, but at google there's not much question- there's one blank; just fill it in and hit enter!
hmmm, I guess AltaVista agrees with me. I KNOW their front page used to be a lot more cluttered than it is now.
_________________________
-Jeff Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings; they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214976 - 07/06/2005 14:38
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: JeffS]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12318
Loc: Sterling, VA
|
Absolutely, I meant to add that. And you're right, Altavista used to be just as clutter as the inexplicably popular Yahoo.
Of course, with Firefox, my main Google page now looks like this:
![](https://empegbbs.com/files/257346-google.jpg)
Attachments
257346-google.jpg (98 downloads)
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214977 - 07/06/2005 16:31
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: Dignan]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 23/08/2000
Posts: 3826
Loc: SLC, UT, USA
|
Quote: They had the right idea, though. Offer a great product, and don't bombard the user with ads
Which is quite interesting, considering that according to their CEO... I think it was 95% of their profits are from advertising.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214978 - 07/06/2005 16:49
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: loren]
|
carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12318
Loc: Sterling, VA
|
Exactly! Who would have thought you could model such a site around search-related text ads? Granted, at the time banner ads were, IMO, worse than they are today even, so I think that helped.
_________________________
Matt
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214979 - 07/06/2005 17:16
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: Dignan]
|
pooh-bah
Registered: 13/09/1999
Posts: 2401
Loc: Croatia
|
Quote: Frankly, I don't think I've even once clicked on a Google ad on their site or anyone else's, but more power to 'em!
I did, perhaps ten or so times. They are quite well chosen, sometimes so relevant to what I am after that I, as I said, sometimes actually click them.
_________________________
Dragi "Bonzi" Raos
Q#5196
MkII #080000376, 18GB green
MkIIa #040103247, 60GB blue
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#214980 - 07/06/2005 17:42
Re: Google IPO now official
[Re: bonzi]
|
veteran
Registered: 21/01/2002
Posts: 1380
Loc: Erie, CO
|
Quote:
Quote: Frankly, I don't think I've even once clicked on a Google ad on their site or anyone else's, but more power to 'em!
I did, perhaps ten or so times. They are quite well chosen, sometimes so relevant to what I am after that I, as I said, sometimes actually click them.
And that is Google's trick. Only market to what the person is looking for, don't spam them. I don't want Viagra or lower home morgtage rates (from a shady company), I want gadgets, climbing gear, woodworking stuff, etc. I subscribe to several sites' newsletters, including Backcountry.com, Sierra Trading Post, Rockler, etc. I choose to have them advertise to me because I like their products and have told them it's ok to advertise to me about things I am intrested in. I like Google's ads too, because they are unobtrusive and are actually quite relevant, again, to things I am interested in.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
|