Google Cancels Spring IPO

securitas writes "Google fans and potential investors will be disappointed to learn that they must wait a while longer before they can own a piece of Google. The Times of London's James Doran reports that Google's IPO plans are on hold. CEO Eric Schmidt appears to think that market conditions are not right. When pressed for details about the delayed IPO, Schmidt said, "An IPO is not on my agenda right now." A commentary about the delayed Google IPO follows. Mirror at Australian IT."

Comments

Conditions really aren't right

[mcc]

• Microsoft has been making constant noises about their new, upcoming search engine and how great it's going to be, basically doing the full-tilt vaporware thing, almost certainly with the purpose of adding uncertainty to Google's IPO. Microsoft would do something like release, with a huge media blitz, their new search product the day before Google's IPO. Waiting either pushes MS to actually release their product or allows Google, on the not wholly unrealistic possibility that MS drops the subject and then suddenly starts making noises again when Google reschedules their IPO, to accuse MS-Search of being vaporware.
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• SCO is being the computer industry loose cannon, until the money from their donation from Microsoft (and, hypothetically, Sun) runs out; they are under no obligation to do anything at all to make more money; and they seem to be desperately, greedily obsessed with doing exactly two things: Hurting linux in any way, public relations or otherwise, and getting press attention. They've been making noises about suing Google; this is probably because making such noises keeps them in the press and because they know Google's about to IPO so they want to push Google to pay SCO some money so they'll go away and stop making uncertainty. However, it's not inconcievable they may well actually sue Google; their case with IBM may be about to unravel, and if so they need to start up a new lawsuit of some sort to keep up the illusion they have some sort of revenue model; and doing so on a nearly-IPOing Google would greatly help MS, which, how shall I put this, SCO at least seems to feel grateful toward, what with the fact their only documented profit ever happened solely because if MS's donation. SCO's a minor consideration, but still delaying IPO at least gives them time to die or deflates their lawsuit threats.
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• The economy is changing, and since the president may well change or nearly change in about six months it may be set to change a lot more in a very unpredictable and drastic way. This is a big deal. IPOs are of much less good if the economy changes drastically shortly afterward. (Can you say "Andover"?)

I'm sure you can think of more reasons if you think about it.

Altavista as an example

[Tarwn]

Before I knew about Google I was using Altavista. In the beginning they had a simple search interface, similar to how google is setup now. Basically it got the job done. After a while they started to get more widely known and started adding ad's to the front page and basically changing their mode of operation. People switched to google.
I see the same possibility occurring. If google goes down the same trampled path that Altavista went, then a lot of people will be moving on to find another search engine with a clean interface that simply does the job.

Google: Thats what we want. When we go to a search engine we want to search. We don't want links to buy garden tools when we are searching for benchmarks, or links to tech consultants when we are searching for a definition for an error message. Just a search. It's not broken the way it is.