By Kelly Faircloth 5/15/12 8:12am

It's Zuck's World We're Just Living In It

(elitedaily.com)

Oh, Dear: Your Grandpa May Be Trying to Buy Facebook Stock

You might want to give your grandparents a call, because they may be badgering their brokers right this very minute for Facebook shares–at least if this CNN Money article is to be believed.

The star of the piece is 79-year-old Alvan Sweet, described as “an experienced IPO investor,” who now lives in a Florida retirement community. His friends never wanted his advice before, oh no, but now that big fancy Facebook is going public, that’s all they can talk about:   Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 5/07/12 8:49am

It's Zuck's World We're Just Living In It

(elitedaily.com)

Founders Apparently No Longer Looking to Cash Out

When Facebook hits the NASDAQ sometime later this month, the structure of the stock offerings will ensure that Mark Zuckerberg still hasa substantial amount of control. If that sounds unusual or problematic, well, Bloomberg has crunched the numbers and the trend probably isn’t disappearing any time soon–so we’d all better get used to founders who make it to the IPO sticking around for the long haul.

Traditionally, going public means ceding some authority, as CEOs become answerable not just to a board of directors, but new shareholders, as well. For a particularly flamboyant example of how this can play out, witness Yahoo’s resume-gate, which was set into motion by a particularly activist investor. Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 5/04/12 11:25am

It's Zuck's World We're Just Living In It

(Photo: Facebook.com)

As Peak Hype Hits, Facebook Reportedly Wants More Shares for Regular Investors

Like most hotly anticipated IPOs, there are plenty of people who’d like a piece of Facebook, and even all the ad-revenue-related doubts in the world aren’t going to change that. Typically, only a small slice of shares are available to mom-and-pop investors. But according to Dealbook, Facebook wants a higher percentage reserved for retail investors, perhaps even as much as 20 to 25 percent for retail investors.  Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 5/01/12 2:36pm

It's Zuck's World We're Just Living In It

(Photo: Facebook.com)

Facebook Throws Its Considerable Weight Behind Organ Donation

That “life-saving” feature Facebook has been teasing? It’s a big push to support organ donation. Thousands die every year waiting for transplants, and–thanks to the prompting of his med-student girlfriend–Mark Zuckerberg wants to help close the gap. Users can now publicize via their timelines their decisions to become organ donors. The thinking seems to be that some combination of positive reinforcement and peer pressure will prompt more people to opt in. Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 4/19/12 11:44am

It's Zuck's World We're Just Living In It

Mr. Zuckerberg (Twitter)

Looks Like Facebook Goes Public May 17

Mark your calendars, folks: Reports indicate Facebook goes public less than a month from today, on May 17.

Bear in mind that date isn’t ironclad, so don’t request a vacation day to watch the proceedings on CNBC or anything. The SEC still has to give the all-clear, and it’s always possible something crazy could happen in the next month. But TechCrunch is getting reports from multiple sources, and the date squares with previous scuttlebutt. Read More