As 2015 comes to a close, an oft-aired question has gone unanswered: when will SnapChat (NYSE:SNAP) have an IPO? It is predicted to happen eventually; as co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel has stated, "An IPO is really important". The app, which allows users to send pictures and videos to one another that vanish after ten seconds or less, has over 100 million users logging in each day. Most users fall between the ages of thirteen and twenty-three. Depending on who's doing the reporting, the company has a valuation of $10 billion to $20 billion.
Discussion over an imminent IPO has increased ever since SnapChat acquired Looksery for $150 million. The Ukrainian startup uses facial recognition technology in order to edit a subject's face during a video message. The resulting SnapChat "lenses" allows users to add a variety of effects to their "snaps", from pulsating heart eyes to sudden scary transformations. A new effect is added every day, and swapped out for an old or unpopular one.
Another indication that SnapChat may be heading for an IPO is its refusal to be bought by Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) for $3 billion. Facebook has been aggressively snapping up social media apps lately, from WhatsApp (acquired for $19 billion) to Instagram (acquired for $1 billion). The former gave Facebook 700 million new users, and the latter over 300 million. These ac...
After both the Paris terrorist attacks and mass shooting in San Bernadino, California, many lawmakers and individuals around the world are pushing Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), Twitter (NYSE: TWTR), and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG)-as well as other tech companies-to ramp up their efforts to report potential terrorists. Some efforts are stemming from legislation recently introduced to the United States Congress, while others come from individuals criticizing many social media sites' current...
As 2015 comes to a close, an oft-aired question has gone unanswered: when will SnapChat (NYSE:SNAP) have an IPO? It is predicted to happen eventually; as co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel has stated, "An IPO is really important". The app, which allows users to send pictures and videos to one another that vanish after ten seconds or less, has over 100 million users logging in each day. Most users fall between the ages of thirteen and twenty-three. Depending on who's doing the reporting, the company has a valuation of $10 billion to $20 billion.
Discussion over an imminent IPO has increased ever since SnapChat acquired Looksery for $150 million. The Ukrainian startup uses facial recognition technology in order to edit a subject's face during a video message. The resulting SnapChat "lenses" allows users to add a variety of effects to their "snaps", from pulsating heart eyes to sudden scary transformations. A new effect is added every day, and swapped out for an old or unpopular one.
Another indication that SnapChat may be heading for an IPO is its refusal to be bought by Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) for $3 billion. Facebook has been aggressively snapping up social media apps lately, from WhatsApp (acquired for $19 billion) to Instagram (acquired for $1 billion). The former gave Facebook 700 million new users, and the latter over 300 million. These ac...
