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Jeez, just go public already! You've had employees waiting for nigh on a decade to realize the value of what they've built, but instead it appears that those g

Jeez, just go public already! You've had employees waiting for nigh on a decade to realize the value of what they've built, but instead it appears that those gains are just going to VCs (and whoever is privileged enough to take money off the table during these raises). Perhaps I'm being too cynical, and perhaps Stripe is taking a more enlightened view than I'm giving it credit for, but my goodness this trend of large businesses just raising money forever (and long after they cease being startups) is frustrating. At least at Google I know I can actually spend all of my paycheck at some point in the decade after I've earned it.

ztratar 7y ago
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- pianoben 7y ago
  Credit where credit due - that's better than most private companies I've heard about. Even so, that's a low bar to clear. Ideally, my employer shouldn't even have a say in my decision to sell or hold my equity once I've earned it. That's a different topic. Just to be clear, I've never worked at Stripe and have no personal bone to pick. I just think it's a shame that all this wealth generation is happening, and not only is the public frozen out of the growth, many of the talented people who made it happen are _also_ frozen out as well.
wbronitsky 7y ago
It’s worse than this; employees who helped build the company are systematically shut out of reaping the rewards. Things like 90 day exercise windows, no information on exit timelines, and more dilution like this, pitched as if it was some forgone conclusion will prevent people who should see immense value from this company from seeing anything other than a token sum.
alkibiades 7y ago
might be nice for employees but borders on negligent when private markets are practically begging for you to take their money and going public has alot of hoops and disclosures
- pianoben 7y ago
  I will never argue that the founders are not acting wisely - they've got no moral imperative to go public. As you say, there's far cheaper capital on offer. Rather, it's a systemic failing. They would pay an undeniable cost by going the IPO route, but it would be to the benefit of their employees and the public at large. Private markets being so flush with cash while regular folks are strapped, on the other hand, is a sign that the tax code is too lenient and we should be re-purposing those dollars for societal benefit. _There_ is the moral failing.
  - GarrisonPrime 7y ago
    >...we should be re-purposing those dollars for societal benefit. _There_ is the moral failing. To see such a dangerous, totalitarian ideology expressed so casually is terrifying.
    - lotsofpulp 7y ago
      I don’t understand it either. If you want more compensation, ask for more compensation. If you accept equity that you don’t have control over, don’t complain when it behaves like a lottery ticket.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
    - darkarmani 7y ago
      > To see such a dangerous, totalitarian ideology expressed so casually is terrifying. Totalitarian? Does the economy exist to serve man or itself? There should be nothing scary about suggesting that the current framework doesn't serve society as well as it could.
    - eximius 7y ago
      Taxes are not totalitarian, which was the implication.
    - pianoben 7y ago

ztratar 7y ago

pianoben 7y ago
Credit where credit due - that's better than most private companies I've heard about. Even so, that's a low bar to clear. Ideally, my employer shouldn't even have a say in my decision to sell or hold my equity once I've earned it. That's a different topic. Just to be clear, I've never worked at Stripe and have no personal bone to pick. I just think it's a shame that all this wealth generation is happening, and not only is the public frozen out of the growth, many of the talented people who made it happen are _also_ frozen out as well.

wbronitsky 7y ago

It’s worse than this; employees who helped build the company are systematically shut out of reaping the rewards. Things like 90 day exercise windows, no information on exit timelines, and more dilution like this, pitched as if it was some forgone conclusion will prevent people who should see immense value from this company from seeing anything other than a token sum.

alkibiades 7y ago

might be nice for employees but borders on negligent when private markets are practically begging for you to take their money and going public has alot of hoops and disclosures

pianoben 7y ago
I will never argue that the founders are not acting wisely - they've got no moral imperative to go public. As you say, there's far cheaper capital on offer. Rather, it's a systemic failing. They would pay an undeniable cost by going the IPO route, but it would be to the benefit of their employees and the public at large. Private markets being so flush with cash while regular folks are strapped, on the other hand, is a sign that the tax code is too lenient and we should be re-purposing those dollars for societal benefit. _There_ is the moral failing.
- GarrisonPrime 7y ago
  >...we should be re-purposing those dollars for societal benefit. _There_ is the moral failing. To see such a dangerous, totalitarian ideology expressed so casually is terrifying.
  - lotsofpulp 7y ago
    I don’t understand it either. If you want more compensation, ask for more compensation. If you accept equity that you don’t have control over, don’t complain when it behaves like a lottery ticket.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - darkarmani 7y ago
    > To see such a dangerous, totalitarian ideology expressed so casually is terrifying. Totalitarian? Does the economy exist to serve man or itself? There should be nothing scary about suggesting that the current framework doesn't serve society as well as it could.
  - eximius 7y ago
    Taxes are not totalitarian, which was the implication.
  - pianoben 7y ago