> If companies truly were profitable, in general wouldn't investors want to keep the company private? Not necessarily, you might want the stock to liquid so yo

> If companies truly were profitable, in general wouldn't investors want to keep the company private? Not necessarily, you might want the stock to liquid so you can sell off some/all of your investment rather than wait for a trickle of income, and selling out will get taxed at a much lower cap gains rate rather than as ordinary income.