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It would seem that Snapchat is finally entering the realm of public trading with its initial public offering going live somewhere around March 2017. One of the company’s reasons for doing so is fighting back against the encroaching online menace that is Facebook. With an estimated IPO value of $25 billion, the newly christened Snap Inc. might stand a good chance at offering decent resistance.
According to The Wall Street Journal, several people who are familiar with the matter disclosed that the paperwork is already underway. The target seems to be the first quarter of 2017, but there isn’t exactly a concrete date to pair with the information.
Right now, there are also some uncertainties surrounding the development. Aside from the possibility that Snap won’t even follow through with the timeframe provided, the IPO itself is not even guaranteed. What might disappoint investors the most, however, is the distinct possibility that Snap won’t even come close to the estimated $25 billion value. If it did, the popular social media app would have the largest public debut in years.
With Facebook’s insistence on becoming the only social media company in the world, it was just a matter of time before the youth-centric Snap fought back. Now that the company has grown to a point where its popularity is pitting it against the much bigger opponents, a Business Insider source indicated that the younger brand felt that it needed the extra capital to stay in the game.
The company does have other reasons for going public, the publication adds, including the access to bigger advertising deals that the IPO could offer and recruitment. Snap is looking for some talented engineers, programmers, and production designers to help the company grow and remain competitive, especially when it’s going up against behemoths like Facebook and Google.
However, some analysts are worried about the potential downsides to Snap going public. Right now, Twitter is getting pummeled in the stock market, which makes its future cloudy at best.
