Freedom's Just Another Word For Nothing Left to Lose: Groupon IPO Delayed

Groupon, the online discount retailer, likes to tout FOMO on its site. That stands for 'Fear Of Missing Out.' With the economy hitting stall speed and the equity markets headed mostly south, Groupon has announced it may 'delay' its IPO. Joining Yahoo! in the 'woulda, shoulda, coulda' conga line, one can not help but wonder if Groupon's shareholders are feeling a little FOMO at having summarily rejected Google's rumored $6 billion offer earlier this year.

Overconfidence and 'we're the next ___' (insert name of any company with a market cap) analogy-itis are endemic in Silicon Valley, but one senses that unlike the lyrics of 'Me and Bobby McGee,' feeling good is not good enough for anyone holding this stock. JL

Laura Hazard Owen reports in Paid Content:

Groupon is “reevaluating its plans to go public in the face of stock market volatility” and has canceled its roadshow scheduled for next week, according to the Wall Street Journal.

According to the unidentified “person familiar with the matter”>person familiar with the matter,” Groupon had intended to go public after Labor Day and announce its share prices in mid-September, but given falling stocks in particularly in international markets, decided to delay the IPO
In addition, the source said, the SEC contacted Groupon last week to ask about a leaked employee memo written by CEO Andrew Mason. The SEC’s “quiet period” rules prohibit companies from making public financial statements during the IPO process. Wired had to pull its IPO in 1996 after publisher Louis Rossetto wrote a similarly optimistic employee memo.

A spokesperson for Groupon declined to comment.