Today in finance class we are having a great discussion with Gary Bengier, the former CFO of eBay. Gary was a key part of the company during its early formative years, from 1997 to 2001. He was deeply involved in the company’s strategy, and led the company’s initial and secondary public offerings.
The class has the opportunity to ask a number of questions about the IPO process and hear Gary’s stories about taking eBay public. So far, the key point that I’ve taken away from the discussion is that an IPO is all about planning. Once the process starts, you are stuck on a roller-coaster ride, and you’d better be ready and have everything in place or else you’re in for a tough ride!
Anyway… this is a fascinating conversation so I’d better get back to listening. 🙂