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I am always curious why companies like this want to IPO. Do they really need the cash in order to further grow their company?

Or is it solely for compensation of their founders & employees?

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they passed 500 stockholders, so they must go public, per rule of SEC

The 500 stockholders rule says nothing about going public. It says that they must adhere to the same onerous reporting requirements as public companies. Therefore, many companies choose to go public at that point and get some of the benefits along with the complexity.

(Also, it's worth noting that Facebook was exempted from that rule in 2008, anyway. See http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/vprr/08/9999999997-08-0430...)

Wow, I learn something new every day. Thanks.

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