[muninn_]

Yeah I lean toward this view as well. The point of an IPO is to raise capital. But when you do this, unless you own 51% of the company or there is a small group of like-minded individuals that own 51% of the company, you can wind up losing control and instead of doing things Wall Street doesn't like, you're going to have to focus on profitability and pleasing shareholders.

It's one route to take, but not the only one.

[hagbarth]

Yeah, but AirBnB took that route when they got private investors. They expect to get their money back with a good ROI.

That would be through an IPO or acquisition, either way you loose control of your company.

[zenlikethat]

True, you lose some control, but a small board of a private company is much easier to convince and compel on long-term vision and plans than the general public.