Companies Don’t Have to Go Public, So Why Do They?

The Takeaway

By going public, Facebook joined a diverse group of companies. Some, like Apple and Amazon, have had huge success selling pieces of their company to the public. Others, like Enron and Tyco, couldn’t take the public scrutiny and failed as a result. Since taking a company public requires jumping through a lot of hoops, fewer companies are doing it. So why go public at all?
Adrian Wooldridge  is the Schumpeter columnist and management editor at The Economist.

Will you support The World today?

The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.

Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!