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Under Principles: Independence: since we took financing we need to have a liquidity event; to maintain independence we want to become a public company rather t

Under Principles: Independence: since we took financing we need to have a liquidity event; to maintain independence we want to become a public company rather than be acquired. At any rate, even if it happens, GitLab CE is open source, which can't be said for some of their competition.

bdcravens 7y ago
The question is, is that their call to make? Does Goldman Sachs share the same opinion?
- marcinzm 7y ago
  From what I can tell 5 out of 7 board seats are owned by VCs and it's very unlikely the founders retain majority shares given their 5 rounds of funding. So I doubt it's their call to make in any way.
  - bdcravens 7y ago
    I can promise you they are already in talks with at least one large company. You know those phones started ringing when Microsoft bought Github. I'm not ready to believe that Goldman Sachs is now a principles over profit kind of company.
    - sonnyblarney 7y ago
      If one takes GitLab's communication entirely at face value, one might consider there is some kind of 'principled' thing going on here, but I suggest that 'it's just a business' and that GitLab isn't some shiny example of much, other than a well run entity. All of the 'everyone can do this' language in their communications, is just that, communications, it has a cognitive resonance with words such as 'equality' which appeal to some (well, all of us in a way) - but it's marketing. The are what they are because it works for those involved, and also makes them money. Many boring business without fancy communications provide immense surpluses to the world.
sonnyblarney 7y ago
"to maintain independence we want to become a public company rather than be acquired" I don't doubt this is their honest preference, but these are words, part of a communications strategy. Since it's fairly clearly a business, they have 'a price', surely, moreover, the outside impetus may force their hand.

bdcravens 7y ago

The question is, is that their call to make? Does Goldman Sachs share the same opinion?

marcinzm 7y ago
From what I can tell 5 out of 7 board seats are owned by VCs and it's very unlikely the founders retain majority shares given their 5 rounds of funding. So I doubt it's their call to make in any way.
- bdcravens 7y ago
  I can promise you they are already in talks with at least one large company. You know those phones started ringing when Microsoft bought Github. I'm not ready to believe that Goldman Sachs is now a principles over profit kind of company.
  - sonnyblarney 7y ago
    If one takes GitLab's communication entirely at face value, one might consider there is some kind of 'principled' thing going on here, but I suggest that 'it's just a business' and that GitLab isn't some shiny example of much, other than a well run entity. All of the 'everyone can do this' language in their communications, is just that, communications, it has a cognitive resonance with words such as 'equality' which appeal to some (well, all of us in a way) - but it's marketing. The are what they are because it works for those involved, and also makes them money. Many boring business without fancy communications provide immense surpluses to the world.

sonnyblarney 7y ago

"to maintain independence we want to become a public company rather than be acquired" I don't doubt this is their honest preference, but these are words, part of a communications strategy. Since it's fairly clearly a business, they have 'a price', surely, moreover, the outside impetus may force their hand.