Groupon’s IPO Filing<\/h3>\n
Groupon’s management took the somewhat controversial step of trying to comment on all the negative publicity its IPO has been getting by sending out a company-wide email to employees saying exactly the kinds of things that you aren’t allowed to say during the SEC mandated “quiet period” before a public offering. Of course, they were shocked, SHOCKED, to find out that the email had been leaked to the media which ensured its wide, very public, dissemination.<\/p>\n No word on whether the SEC will take any action on the matter. (If not, look for plenty of other companies to have “accidental” leaks in the run-up to their IPOs.)<\/p>\n Next up, Google decided to get into the daily deals \/ local discount business itself. It started with just a few markets, but recently opened in several others including here in Denver, where Google Offers offered $20 at the popular Tattered Cover bookstore for just $5.<\/p>\n (Disclosure: I bought one of the Tattered Cover Google Offers, although I have no affiliation with Google or the Tattered Cover other than as a customer.)<\/p>\n In other words, the copycats that Groupon has so effectively dismissed in the past are getting bigger and if that IPO doesn’t hurry, there might be some disturbing statistics showing that Groupon is not long for this world as anything other than a takeover target. (Paging Microsoft Bing.) Don’t count on a $6 billion bid, though.<\/p>\n On the other hand, if Google can’t break Groupon’s hold on the market, investors (and retailers) might be convinced no one can, in which case, Groupon stock would be a very good investment<\/a>.<\/p>\n Which is it? Time will tell, but as I’ve noted before Groupon is too easy to copy. The only real question is has everyone else started worrying about that too, or will Groupon get through its IPO before anyone gets uneasy?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Has Google Already Beating Groupon? Not long ago, Google offered to buy Groupon for $6 billion. Soon thereafter, Groupon did another round of private equity financing that essentially paid off company founders and early investors such that they have already locked in sizable gains. That might be a very good thing since Groupon seems to be in trouble before it even goes public. Update: Groupon has updated its IPO filing documents again. Follow the link for the latest. Groupon’s IPO Filing Groupon has already had to adjust the documents it originally filed in order to do an initial public offering (IPO) of stock. It de-emphasized a widely mocked financial metric that essentially didn’t count certain expenses. That isn’t a huge thing by itself, although it does potentially show what Groupon thinks of the sophistication level (or lack thereof) of those who would buy Groupon’s IPO. Groupon’s management took the somewhat controversial step of trying to comment on all the negative publicity its IPO has been getting by sending out a company-wide email to employees saying exactly the kinds of things that you aren’t allowed to say during the SEC mandated “quiet period” before a public offering. Of course, they were … <\/p>\n![\"good-investment-bad-investment\"](\"http:\/\/financegourmet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/good-investment-bad-investment.jpg\" "\\"good-investment-bad-investment\\"")
Groupon has already had to adjust the documents it originally filed in order to do an initial public offering (IPO) of stock. It de-emphasized a widely mocked financial metric that essentially didn’t count certain expenses. That isn’t a huge thing by itself, although it does potentially show what Groupon thinks of the sophistication level (or lack thereof) of those who would buy Groupon’s IPO<\/a>.<\/p>\nGoogle Offers vs. Groupon<\/h3>\n