Google filed its IPO plans yesterday, and the documents included more information about Google than has ever been public before. So how does a reporter on deadline track it down?
The quickest way is to go to Edgar (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval), the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s database of public filings: edgar.sec.gov/edgar.shtml
- Select “Search for Company Filings”
- Click on “Companies and other filers”
- Enter “Google” for company name and search.
The page that results includes all of Google’s filings past and present — including old ones when the company merged its technology division (Google Technology Inc.) into the rest of the company, which was the first tipoff it was moving toward an IPO.
You’ll want the most recent filing, which is the second one listed (hint: it has the highest number). Then, click on the S-1 form, which is the registration statement submitted when a company decides to go public (this is what is commonly referred to as an IPO filing).
The page that results is unfortunately not formatted very well, but if you scroll down you can see the explanation of what each of the hyperlinked files are after the <DESCRIPTION> tags. Click on the one under Form S-1, listed as Document 1 – file: ds1.htm, and you’ll get the meat of the filing. As tempting as it may be to print it out, beware: it’s more than 1,000 pages long.
Some of the more interesting things you’ll find in the filing:
- A letter from the founders, which outlines their vision: “We will not shy away from high-risk, high-reward projects because of short term earnings pressure. Do not be surprised if we place smaller bets in areas that seem very speculative or even strange.”
- The prospectus, which includes the company’s mission statement
- A discussion of how the company perceives its competition — Microsoft and Yahoo.
- A detailed look at the company’s financial situation and how it generates revenues.
And if that’s not enough information for you…
Another good site for information is google-ipo.com, which includes links to dozens of recent articles about the IPO, plus a lively message board. (As Poynter Online Editor Bill Mitchell points out, it’s also the site that pops up if you enter Google IPO in Google and click “I’m Feeling Lucky.”)
Plus, here are some key online search engine usage data from comScore Networks if you want to see how Google stacks up against the competition.
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- What websites do you find handy for finding information?
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