'"Some of these companies want to go public because they want to beat Facebook and others out," said one of the sources.'

What's the value for being first with an IPO? Who does this matter to? Honest question.

'"If Facebook went public before Linkedin, do you think anyone would pay that much attention to Linkedin?" You might want to surpass the beast."'

Again, who does this matter to and why? They are similar companies but they are different in ways that matter regarding target audience.