SlyOldDog - 1:30 am on Jan 3, 2003 (gmt 0)

Just a note to a post above: Microsoft will never buy Google. The anti-trust regulators would wet their pants laughing if Microsoft tried. ;)

Just a couple of questions that are important to determine the IPO motive:

1) How much of Google's stock is owned by the VCs?

2) How much stock will be floated?

It's important to know these things, because if the VCs are the only ones dumping their stock, the landscape will not change much at Google, with the VCs being swapped out for Joe public. Big deal. Joe public has less of a voice than a VC.

The other thing that's worth noting, and was mentioned earlier in the thread is that the US is in the middle of a bear market. Why float now? Well, in Google's case there's only one good reason: to determine the value of Google stock. To make it into a currency that they can use for both internal (stock options) and external (acquisitions)reasons. They would certainly be crazy to exit now.

Worse times may be ahead for technology stocks in the short term, but there will be a recovery, and I'm sure it will be worth waiting for.

By the way, my guess on an opening day p/e is 50. I have faith in this growth stock :)