Gitlab weighing options for going public with estimated $6B value

cnbc.com

23 points·vhiremath4··7 comments

I don't like this. Companies going public means that they have investors to answer to. Investors who will pressurize them to close up their source.

The primary reason a company usually goes public is to offer a path to liquidity (cash) to its shareholders (mostly employees and investors) via selling shares on an open market. There are other reasons, but this is typically the primary one. As mentioned in another reply, GitLab already has investors and a board.

What's your preferred outcome? Staying private? I'm not sure any of these companies are set up with this intent. The goals seem to be IPO or to be acquired. My understanding is that the barriers to IPO usually means acquisition is preferred.

Gitlab already had investors to answer to, it is by no means a bootstrapped company.

I've always been skeptical about the claim that Gitlab would prefer going public over a direct purchase. It just sounds like a negotiating tactic intended to raise first offers.

They're going to be a rapid acquisition target by anyone who (a) has lots of cash or valuable shares and (b) isn't Microsoft.

Going through the hassle of an IPO, followed by the hassle of being a public company acquired by another public company, seems wasteful.

Please please, anyone but Atlassian.

Well they have to provide some form of exit to their employees, better it’s an IPO than an acquisition.

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