Facebook To Put Off IPO Until Late 2012 129
jfruhlinger writes "Facebook's whispered about IPO is one of the most anticipated in the industry — but it looks like we'll have to anticipate it for a bit longer. The Financial Times, quoting anonymous sources, says that it won't happen until late next year. Those sources say the purpose is to keep Facebook employees focused on product development, but it seems more likely that Facebook's bankers aren't happy with the company's numbers (or the economy's prospects)."
Makes sense (Score:4, Insightful)
I hate the Facebook, try as I might I've had zero success in migrating my family and friends to superior services like twitter & google+. (I'm gen x btw). Reason being is my non computer literate family and friends can't cope with the cognitive dissonance of learning yet another www site on the internet. If they do manage to do so, then there's no-one there, except boring self-promoters (hello twitter!). So Facebook will be around for a long time to come and people like me who know there's better alternatives will still be forced to use it.
Getting back on topic, postponing the IPO makes a tonne of sense. The markets are in turmoil with Greece and Italy about to default. For an IPO of the size of Facebook, any sensible banker would wait and see.
Plus the USA has its election next year, so inevitably the pork barrel will come out. No doubt that will add a couple of digits to the user/revenue/ebitda mulitple that Facebook will be valued at.
Re:You're only hot once (Score:2, Insightful)
When did we get to the point that you cannot even point out that a young child may look beautiful? They quite often do you know, it's in their (evolutionary) best interest to look cute, adorable, and non-threatening; it makes adults (especially their parents) want to protect them.
Sometimes a good-looking child ends up a pretty adolescent, and some of them have a perfect figure and hot body for most of their adult lives. Others end up with horrible acne at 14, or figure World of Warcraft is a good way to spend 12 hours a day, and end up looking repugnant.
Look, I know we are in an age were paedophiles are the new communists, but the truth of the matter is that a 14-year old girl can be sexually attractive, and a 9-year old boy can have a perfect skin, perfect features, and look adorable in every way (most don't though). Pointing this out does not automatically mean you would rape or otherwise harm them given the chance.
Re:Can't wait to make these criminals billionaires (Score:4, Insightful)
I love this one (emphasis mine)
Facebook permanently records everything you do, even what you look at, even items that are "deleted". And presumably gives them to the CIA.
And presumably to Al-Qaeda and North Korea as well. Get a grip, Richard.
Re:Can't wait to make these criminals billionaires (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem is that you stop being social with those who need it the most - those you won't find on Facebook.
Re:Can't wait to make these criminals billionaires (Score:3, Insightful)
If Facebook records it, they - like all big corporations - WILL give it to whichever agency asks. Either because of some "national security" law or simply for some goodwill with government agencies in general.
You can ridicule it all you want. That doesn't change the fact that if they want to, agencies like the CIA have unrestricted access to all of Facebook's data.