Reddit IPO: The financial hub of Wall Street is buzzing with anticipation for the impending Reddit initial public offering (IPO), where the company is set to unveil its chosen ticker, “RDDT.” Curious about the Reddit IPO? Here's what you need to know.
The highly-watched social media giant aims to generate up to $748 million in its primary offering, as indicated in a corporate filing released this morning. This equates to the sale of approximately 22 million shares, with a price range of $31 to $34 per share.
In a notable move, Reddit has earmarked 1.76 million shares specifically for users of its platform, affectionately known as “Redditors.” These segregated shares will be available for Redditors to purchase at the offering price, and they can be freely traded upon the IPO, bypassing the standard six-month lock-up period typically imposed on early investors post-stock launch.
It's worth noting that Reddit has cautioned that Redditors participating in the IPO offer “may lead to increased volatility in the market price” of RDDT stock.
Mark your calendars, as the discussion forum website is slated to launch its IPO on March 21, just a week from now.
What Does the Reddit IPO Mean for Reddit?
The Reddit IPO represents the inaugural major tech stock debut of the year and the first significant entry into the social media market since Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) went public in 2019.
The journey to the Reddit IPO has been a long one. In 2021, the company initially filed a confidential draft of its IPO prospectus. During the same year, Reddit secured $1.3 billion in private funding, achieving a valuation of $10 billion – surpassing its current targeted valuation of up to $6.4 billion.
Demonstrating robust financial performance in recent years, Reddit disclosed $804 million in annual sales for 2023, marking a substantial 20% increase from the preceding year. Notably, the platform also narrowed its net loss to $90.8 million, reflecting a noteworthy 43.7% decrease from the 2022 figures.
Reddit boasts an impressive lineup of shareholders, featuring notable names like Tencent (OTCMKTS:TCEHY) and Sam Altman, the Chief Executive of OpenAI and a well-known rival of Elon Musk. Notably, Altman served on Reddit's board of directors for a substantial seven-year period, spanning from 2015 to 2022.
Amidst the anticipation surrounding the Reddit IPO, some users have voiced concerns about potential negative alterations to the platform's renowned user-driven ethos. However, Reddit's leadership, including co-founder Steve Huffman, has consistently reassured the community that the public launch will not compromise the user experience.
In a letter addressed to prospective investors last month, Huffman emphasized, “Our users have a deep sense of ownership over the communities they create on Reddit. We want this sense of ownership to be reflected in real ownership – for our users to be our owners. Becoming a public company makes this possible.”