Comments on: Possible Google IPO – Is it Evil?

By: Wesley E. Warren

Wesley E. Warren — Wed, 14 Jul 2004 02:45:34 +0000

This is slightly off topic, but its driving me crazy. – What is up with all the forward-slashes after the apostrophes? It’s really ditractin’ me :)

By: Wesley Warren

Wesley Warren — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Its also possible that the IPO could be good but not GREAT, so the stock could rise in a steady fashion, not skyrocket to triple or quadruple in a single day/week. It could just come out and be another solid company to invvest it. I think the bust hopefully taught many people a painful lesson and hopefully that will keep the price from exploding to quickly. A slightly positive stock could just help the market overall, just stating that there are more than just two possibilities. :)

By: Colin MacDonell

Colin MacDonell — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Your comments about “setting the industry back X number of years” is unfounded and lacks supporting facts. “The Market” isn’t going to be as drastically affected by this one IPO moreso than others, excepting of course that this particular IPO has and continues to get much more MEDIA exposure than others.
Nice try with the attempt to get the words evil and google in the same context, but I really don’t think you know a damn thing about what you’re talking about.
Evil? I think you need to become way more informed before you start flinging the holy water about.

By: John Doe

John Doe — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

This is really stupid. There is just no comparison to the Internet Bubble hype-IPO days… Google is a profitable company which, while innovative, has a well-defined market with real also-profitable competitors. When Google’s financial numbers become public they’ll be compared to Yahoo and others, and even if those numbers look very good the very fact that they /can/ be compared to Yahoo will put keep expectations firmly planted on this planet.

By: Loren

Loren — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

As Editor of the Search Engine Journal I'd like to add to this discussion that we try to report Search Engine News on a fair and balanced basis. The pending Google IPO is huge news and has the ability to profoundly effect the US economy and Internet businesses as we know them. We do like Google and the IPO news has our heads buzzing. By reporting on search news in a balanced fashion, we feel that bringing up an interesting viewpoint on the IPO is informative to our reader base. Hence, posing a question and quoting an existing viewpoint on another site, not our own. The same story quoted in this feature was also quoted in the Washington Post and the Seattle Times. In such, it is news commentary on a huge breaking story and we feel our readers may find such a viewpoint worthwhile. Much thanks for your thoughts and opinions, Loren Baker Editor in Chief, The Search Engine Journal

By: Someone

Someone — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Just a clarification… despite what you’ve written here, and what a number of other sites have written, Google CAN NOT go public next week. What they may do is FILE TO GO PUBLIC, meaning that they will not actually go public for a few months. In filing, though, they will open up their books. However, it’s inaccurate to say that they’ll go public next week.

By: Jeremy C. Wright

Jeremy C. Wright — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Just to clarify, for those who don’t think I know what I’m talking about (hey John Doe). The effect I’m talking about has little to do with economics and more to do with psychology and game theory. Success breeds success until it breeds failure, mob mentalities, follower succintness… All well documented. I have no problem being wrong, I just feel that all of the positive exposure without ANY checks or balances (ie: is this worth investing in isn’t a question I’ve ever heard asked in conversations about Google) can only be a negative thing.

Even if it turns out well, it will redefine people’s perceptions of IPO’s. To say this is a positive thing is to say that people can just look at the hot company of the day, invest, and make money.

Sorry, but it doesn’t work that way. If anything, ever, encourages people to not do their homework, not seek financial council and not invest money they are fully prepared to lose, it will affect the market and the economy in a negative fashion. It’s a lesson history has tried to teach us, and one we haven’t learned very well.

And, for the record, the same pieces Loren quoted have also been in the Miami Herald, the Chicago Sun Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and many other papers. Doesn’t mean I’m right, but having a logical, balancing opinion isn’t a bad thing.

After all, it’s not like I’ve got anything against Google. None of this is their fault, and I wish them all the best. Great bunch of guys, many of whom I know quite well.

By: Doug Ryan

Doug Ryan — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Jeremy C. Wright is a moron. With this logic, let’s all strive for mediocrity!

By: Jeremy C. Wright

Jeremy C. Wright — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Yes, because by investing in the Google IPO you will obviously achieve riches, glory and happiness.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Jeremy brings a well thought argument. However he states the following:

Second, yes Google is a good company, as far as we can tell. However, there are two fundamental things that will change once the IPO happens. First, it will be a public company, forced to be scrutinized in ways it’s refused to be before. Second, there is a massive difference between a good stock and a good company.

However a law passed during the Great Depression in 1934 requires any company with more then 500 shareholders and over 10million in assets to register with the SEC. Google is being forced to have SEC scrutiny without the benefits of it going IPO. Because of this Google doesn’t have much choice in the matter, they can take the scrutiny with none of the benefits, or then can go IPO and reap the wealth.