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So, where the heck is this $50B valuation coming from? I know those are '09 numbers, but even with wicked growth, that's quite a P/E.
by callmeed 16y ago
So, where the heck is this $50B valuation coming from? I know those are '09 numbers, but even with wicked growth, that's quite a P/E.
- svlla 16y agoit's called faith-based investing.
- michaelty 16y agoBrought to you by Goldman Sachs.
- aheilbut 16y agoThe user base is growing at something like 200% a year. In five years, they'll have over 32 billion users. Just figure out a way to make one or two dollars off each user...that can't be so hard, right?
- asnyder 16y agoUnfortunately there's a hard cap on the number of potential users in the world. There's about 7 billion people in the world right now, even if we're generous and suggest that 50% of the population are potential users you're limited to a 3 billionish maximum. They currently claim over 500 million active users, which means they're already at 1/6 of their maximum. Furthermore, the law of diminishing returns suggests that their growth will slow as they get close to their population limit. So unless they can figure out how to monetize those users in some significant way I can't see the potential for revenue being close to what the current evaluations are suggesting.
- aheilbut 16y agoIrony is no fun when it is explained.
- kondro 16y agoIronically that was sarcasm anyway.
- aheilbut 16y agoYou're right! I'm so terribly sorry for getting my words all confused. It's a great thing that HN has such sharp and savvy editors like you to set shmucks like me straight.
- kondro 16y agoYou're very welcome :-).
- asnyder 16y agoYeah, I figured it was, but I wasn't completely clear on it, so I commented.
- rms 16y agoOr is it pseudo-irony?
- kondro 16y agoIt's Alana Morriset irony.
- rms 16y agoThe same place as the magical $15B valuation Microsoft set way back when.
- m104 16y agoIt's a scam of the pump-and-dump variety, plain and simple. Look forward a few investors and investment banks making out like bandits and the rest getting screwed.