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Can't the public show their confidence or lack thereof in Uber more directly now, by buying or selling? It feels like if people share your views of the company

• PaulHoule 7y ago
  You're right about that. And it seems to be happening. Yet, even if Uber went to $10, early investors effectively got in at a vastly lower price and stand to make a huge gain at the expense of public investors as opposed to by "getting in early at something that becomes a great business." Thus it becomes an example of "people using social institutions to take wealth away from other people;" or an abuse of privilege. Most of the time the public corporation system is some combination of that. If people benefit from privilege, position and luck but they create something hugely beneficial then maybe it is OK. If on the other hand they use it as a platform to steal from "widows, orphans, retirees, etc." then it not OK. It's hard to talk about these things because some very good things and some very bad things are closely conflated.
  • kyriee 7y ago
    That reminds me of an article about how by staying private longer, startups and investors were trying to capture most (if not all) of the upside from the company's growth. I had not taken in to the logical conclusion that by going public, they would essentially be poisoning the well for everyone coming after them. Thanks!