Google share floatation imminent, speculates Wall Street Journal

Posted on 23 Apr 2004 at 12:04

Google is expected to announce its first public share offering (IPO) within days, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Under new US financial regulations Google will soon have to disclose more information about its business because it has reached a certain size. The WSJ says that according to lawyers such disclosures 'can be a trigger for companies to list their shares'.

The extent of any planned IPO remains a mystery, but the company would be sure to attract huge interest.

Google's two founders are thought to own about a third of the company, with the remainder shared between venture capitalists, business partners including AOL and Yahoo!, and employees. It is this last factor that will force it to open its books to the Securities and Exchange Commission, as the new regulations apply to companies with more than $10mn in assets and 500 shareholders.

No-one seems quite sure what Google will be worth once it floats, but as a very rough guide Yahoo! is currently valued at $38bn.

Author: Simon Aughton

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