5 ms·

Shopify (SHOP) invested 350M in Stripe. Is that presently the only way to gain exposure to the company pre-IPO?

fnbr 5y ago
Well, you could always go work there. You also might be able to buy equity on the secondary markets.
pianoben 5y ago
Besides working there? Yes. If you're a qualified investor you could theoretically buy on the secondary markets, but not in practice. I've read that Stripe (like many startups) has reserved right of first refusal as part of their option grants - that is, they can veto sales of their shares. It's probably going to be very difficult or impossible to buy them.
- taurath 5y ago
  It’s a brilliant(ly jerkish) strategy to make them a darling of the market by being the thing that most can’t buy and an exclusive club for the ones that can. WLB there is atrocious I’ve heard as well. The founders will be extremely rich and they’ll probably start their own space programs. Making already rich people happy is the way to wealth in this country. Hope they are kind enough to throw some table scraps to those who live down below the Ring.
  - tptacek 5y ago
    Part of the definition of a private company is control over who your stakeholders are. That's what the "public" in "public company" refers to.
  - plywoodtrees 5y ago
    I'm at Stripe and my WLB is fine fwiw. It's busy, but my managers and team do not encourage overwork. It's 5pm Friday here and I'm about to shut down my work laptop until 8am Monday.
    - paraph1n 5y ago
      I feel like that's not great WLB by today's standards. 8-5 is 9 hours a day (instead of 8), and on a Friday no less, when many folks at other companies easily clock out by 3 to begin their weekend early.
- ensignavenger 5y ago
  Having right of first refusal doesn't mean they can veto a sale- it means they can buy the shares at the offered price instead. Either way the seller gets to sell their shares. It makes it difficult to attract buyers though- why go through all the due diligence when Stripe could just exercise their right to buy the shares instead of you at the same price you would have paid? Still, different from being able to veto the sale and block it entirely.
  - pianoben 5y ago
    From the buyer's perspective, it's as good as a veto.
sl3232323 5y ago
Shopify (SHOP) will be dead in 10 years. Maybe 8. Stripe might surive the decade, but doubtfull. Credit cards are on their way out. (I don't use them anymore. Fuck em.)
- tananaev 5y ago
  What is the alternative to credit cards? Cash? Crypto?
  - hactually 5y ago
    Yeah, weird thing to say. Cards are dead. So's Shopify. Ask me about my ethereum business?
- rvz 5y ago
  Not going to happen.
- throwfarawayyy 5y ago
- petarb 5y ago
  Why do you think that? Just curious
- axelthegerman 5y ago
  Lol also interested in hearing anything of substance behind this claim. Credit cards and e-commerce are not the same thing. (Besides that while I'm not a fan of credit cards I wouldn't say they're dead - yet)

fnbr 5y ago

Well, you could always go work there. You also might be able to buy equity on the secondary markets.

Besides working there? Yes. If you're a qualified investor you could theoretically buy on the secondary markets, but not in practice. I've read that Stripe (like many startups) has reserved right of first refusal as part of their option grants - that is, they can veto sales of their shares. It's probably going to be very difficult or impossible to buy them.

taurath 5y ago
It’s a brilliant(ly jerkish) strategy to make them a darling of the market by being the thing that most can’t buy and an exclusive club for the ones that can. WLB there is atrocious I’ve heard as well. The founders will be extremely rich and they’ll probably start their own space programs. Making already rich people happy is the way to wealth in this country. Hope they are kind enough to throw some table scraps to those who live down below the Ring.
- tptacek 5y ago
  Part of the definition of a private company is control over who your stakeholders are. That's what the "public" in "public company" refers to.
- plywoodtrees 5y ago
  I'm at Stripe and my WLB is fine fwiw. It's busy, but my managers and team do not encourage overwork. It's 5pm Friday here and I'm about to shut down my work laptop until 8am Monday.
  - paraph1n 5y ago
    I feel like that's not great WLB by today's standards. 8-5 is 9 hours a day (instead of 8), and on a Friday no less, when many folks at other companies easily clock out by 3 to begin their weekend early.
ensignavenger 5y ago
Having right of first refusal doesn't mean they can veto a sale- it means they can buy the shares at the offered price instead. Either way the seller gets to sell their shares. It makes it difficult to attract buyers though- why go through all the due diligence when Stripe could just exercise their right to buy the shares instead of you at the same price you would have paid? Still, different from being able to veto the sale and block it entirely.
- pianoben 5y ago
  From the buyer's perspective, it's as good as a veto.

sl3232323 5y ago

Shopify (SHOP) will be dead in 10 years. Maybe 8. Stripe might surive the decade, but doubtfull. Credit cards are on their way out. (I don't use them anymore. Fuck em.)

tananaev 5y ago
What is the alternative to credit cards? Cash? Crypto?
- hactually 5y ago
  Yeah, weird thing to say. Cards are dead. So's Shopify. Ask me about my ethereum business?
rvz 5y ago
Not going to happen.
throwfarawayyy 5y ago
petarb 5y ago
Why do you think that? Just curious
axelthegerman 5y ago
Lol also interested in hearing anything of substance behind this claim. Credit cards and e-commerce are not the same thing. (Besides that while I'm not a fan of credit cards I wouldn't say they're dead - yet)