True. I just meant all things considered, and on balance with the ridiculousness of trying to be fair with all the other crap that's available. I'm not even in favor of government funding schools at all, but since this is how it works, and I can't change that, at least there are a bunch of people who will at least learn about something they should know.

good

It may yet be a scientific triumph, but a public opinion flop. Or a thestudio_bob flop.

This is obviously a very scientific study.

lol. I'd vote that up if I could.

The website is just a flag, a sign post, a Hello World, for the CIA. It's not related to operations. OOOOH! HAXORS! This is like calling someone who guesses your password a hacker.

yes, I do agree on that last point.  I still see similarities of the IPO with madoff and ponzi's deal though since you as the original seller know there is no value to the company, really because the business model is dead in the water (For lots of reasons.)  So the only way it is any good to anyone on the stock market is if the price is above zero, and for each guy selling it, it gets a little closer to zero every day, without possibility of going up because the model doesn't support a higher price nor dividends.  There is nothing on the horizon for them that can pump up the price short of people (new suckers) thinking they'll get to flip it to someone else.  This is very much like a ponzi scheme. perhaps the fault doesn't lie entirely in the company, but also with everyone else who made an IPO on a sham operation possible.

no. it means you pay out the early suckers with new suckers money. that is the definition of a ponzi scheme. when you run out of new suckers the whole thing breaks down.

not only that, but the deals at groupon started out to be so extreme like 45% off something, or 50% off something else... there isn't a whole lot of places you can take that except lower. when you start replacing all of your 45% deals with 10% off deals, people who would have been excited about using groupon before stop checking the site, rinse lather repeat.

in this case it doesn't. capital gains are a speculative variable and are only realized when you SELL.  groupon isn't paying dividends, so effectively, it doesn't make any money for it's "investors."  People are essentially only able to bet on the share price going up or down, which has at this point nothing to do with the company itself other than they (the company) inspire people to run away at breakneck speeds.

they only floated 5% of the company shares. principals all had a nice ejection seat.  the stock price goes up on the first day because everyone wanted to borrow it so they could short it.  the IPO underwriters make a fee on the offering, the principals cash out, some early bird flippers turn a profit on people looking to supply the borrow or cover their shorts, and they exit too. who's left? the market bagholders who get excited about 'new technology booms' from watching CNBC over their orange juice. it's basically a ponzi scheme.  I hope they drown in it.

maybe not, but if he were trying to make a buck on all of this, it's a damned good start for him.  he could now write a book that his former enemies would buy and scour.