SlyOldDog - 7:06 am on Jun 15, 2003 (gmt 0)

>>IPOs will not be like they were before - and in this regard - there is a much greater chance people will not make instant profits. Businesses have wised up and realize that if their stock goes from $10 to $20 in the first day - that they got ripped off - and got half as much as they should have.

ChrisR - I disagree with you here. It's well known that companies IPO a small percentage of their stock at a big discount to whet the appetite of investors. The idea being that when the owners come back in 2 years for the big float everyone will have made a nice profit on their stock and will be ready for more.

>>Once public, Google would face the pressure of quarterly profit reports, disclosure of information that may benefit competitors, and meeting corporate governance guidelines

I dunno. Google seems greedier every day. They've certainly changed their mindset from focussing on search to focussing on profits already. I doubt whether an IPO would make a big difference now.