Reddit to sell stock in an unusual IPO : NPR

Reddit to sell stock in an unusual IPO : NPR

Crafting a blog post centered around the keyphrase “Unusual IPO stock sale” in English.

Reddit Files for Unusual IPO Stock Sale

Reddit, a well-known online message board platform, has taken a significant step by filing for an initial public offering (IPO), marking the first social media IPO since 2019.

The San Francisco-based social media giant, often referred to as “the front page of the internet,” submitted its IPO paperwork on Thursday with the goal of broadening its reach and influence in the tech industry.

Anticipated to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “RDDT” in the near future, Reddit was established in 2005 by Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman during their time as students at the University of Virginia. Initially serving as a platform for anonymous discussions on various topics like culture and politics, Reddit has evolved over time, now attracting a daily audience of 76 million users spanning across more than 100,000 online communities, as disclosed in its regulatory filings.

Reddit has long been recognized as the leading global message board platform, where volunteer moderators play a crucial role in shaping the community guidelines. In a letter accompanying the regulatory filing, Reddit’s CEO, Steve Huffman, expressed his optimism that the IPO will not only benefit investors but also empower the platform’s dedicated community. Huffman emphasized the strong sense of ownership that Reddit users feel towards the communities they actively engage in.

According to Reddit’s filing, Advance Publications, the parent company of Condé Nast, holds the largest stake in Reddit, followed by Chinese tech giant Tencent. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, renowned for its ChatGPT technology, ranks as the third-largest shareholder in Reddit, with a stake exceeding that of Huffman, the CEO of Reddit.

Setting aside stocks for premium customers

Reddit’s Role in the GameStop Stock Craze

Reddit found itself at the epicenter of a stock market frenzy when a subreddit called WallStreetBets orchestrated a surge in GameStop’s stock prices, capturing the attention of small investors and triggering a significant surge. This occurrence not only sparked a trading frenzy on Wall Street but also shed light on Reddit’s influence in the realm of meme stocks.

Recently, Reddit has made several controversial moves, which many believe are in preparation for an upcoming public offering, a plan it initially hinted at in late 2021.

Thousands of Reddit communities 'go dark' in protest of new developer fees

Reddit’s Unusual IPO Stock Sale

Reddit made significant changes, including implementing charges for developers to access the site. This decision caused an uproar among numerous Reddit communities, fearing the demise of third-party apps commonly used for browsing and posting. Critics believed this move aimed to steer users towards Reddit’s proprietary app, sidelining third-party alternatives.

Prior to Reddit’s public filing for an IPO, another contentious move was revealed. The company entered a licensing agreement with Google, allowing data scraping from its diverse communities to enhance Google’s AI models.

“Reddit holds a vast dataset of human conversations on various topics,” Huffman explained to NPR in June. “We are not inclined to provide this valuable information for free.”

Reddit, alongside social media peers like Facebook, Instagram, Snap, and YouTube, faced a decline in digital ad spending, prompting a quest for new revenue streams, especially in anticipation of its IPO. Investors are now eager for Reddit to demonstrate profitability, a milestone it has yet to achieve. Recent financial reports indicated a net income of $18 million but net losses nearing $90 million in the last quarter of the previous year.

Reflecting on the company’s journey, Huffman acknowledged the need for maturity, stating, “We’re 18 years old. It’s time for us to evolve into a more sophisticated and responsible entity.”

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