Facebook IPO - The Inside Story

Mark Zuckerberg, known to be skeptical
Of the IPO stock market spectacle,
Expressed his unease
That I-banking fees
Could ever yield anything practical.

Countered one of the Facebook wise men of it:
"The S.E.C. tells us the 'when' of it;
As our ownership grows,
We'll have to disclose
Our finances, so let's reap the benefit."

The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook is moving toward a possible $10 billion IPO, which would value the social networking company at $100 billion. CEO & founder Mark Zuckerberg has previously questioned both the value of an IPO and the role of investment banks in such a transaction. However, the SEC may force his hand; come April, the number of Facebook shareholders will have passed 500, the level at which US law requires companies to publish their financial results. At that point, Facebook would have all of the liability of a public company, so the board is evidently warming to the idea of its having the cash proceeds, as well.