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this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2024
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Technology
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All I know is that basically every IPO I’ve seen has eventually made the product worse. I have no data to back this up, just feelings, but still. As soon as a company starts worrying about shareholders, corners start getting cut or prices start going up for no reason.
When they are private they still have shareholders, the shares are just not available to the public. When it goes public is when some of those private shareholders want to cash out. So they drive the fundamentals however and sell the stock over the next years.
I believe that being publicly traded means that you are obligated to maximize shareholder returns, whereas a privately-held company can have literally any goals, as long as it pays taxes and follows the law.
Yes but that part is not exactly as strong as you portray. The BOD has the power to decide what to do and how to do it, so they can decide on pretty much anything and say it's for long term return. They can decide on doing more environmentally, DEI, ESG, the rarely seen good wages, keep manufacturing in the west, donations, whatever. They have pretty much complete leeway and can always say it's for long term return. Also the main (only?) way for the shareholder return obligation to play out is a class action lawsuit by the shareholders, who they are the majority of. (You may hear about it a lot because the far right is trying to rely on this idea to prevent companies from doing anything they don't like.)