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Stripe cuts internal valuation by 28%

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Re: Stripe cuts internal valuation by 28%

#121
post #114
post #96

Scary this is just the beginning... a recession has not even started

Could you clarify? By any measure we're already in a recession today. I'm certainly no economist so maybe there is some other detail we're missing?

We aren't in a recession. The broad job market is still way too tight.

But it is coming. It is being engineered by the Fed to reduce inflation. Probably sometime next year.

Re: Stripe cuts internal valuation by 28%

#122
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The current market so far . Interest rates will rise and CC transactions will migrate over time to less costly rails starting in the next 12-18 months (although Radar, Identity, and other value add products are likely to see continued use and rev growth). Imho, Stripe should've IPO'd at the top ~12+_ months ago. EDIT: @pbriet (HN throttling, can't reply directly to your comment) In the US, Zelle does $490B worth of v…

"CC transactions will migrate over time to less costly rails starting in the next 12-18 months" People have been saying that for decades. And in fact the opposite is happening. Visa/MC raising rates. PayPal raising rates. Volume shifting to more expensive BNPL.

You wrote --- > "People have been saying that for decades. And in fact the opposite is happening. Visa/MC raising rates. PayPal raising rates. Volume shifting to more expensive BNPL."

He wrote--- > "CC companies are raising their rates because their margin is soon to be compressed."

He's talking about fees for transactions. Not rates. They are raising rates to make up for the lost fees.

Re: Stripe cuts internal valuation by 28%

#123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they believe in their valuation why shouldn't they just IPO? Is it really gonna matter if they IPO at 100B or just 60b? And if they are in fact a 100B company then supposedly at some point the public market should price them "correctly".

> Is it really gonna matter if they IPO at 100B or just 60b? Let’s ask all the employees who have been told they have $1mm in stock only to find out they in fact have $600k, etc.

But usually there's a lock-up period anyway. If the public market decides it's worth 60b the IPO price might not matter.

But also, as an employee, wouldn't you rather have 600k in a public company than 1m in a promise that may or may not substantiate? And if you do believe that it's a 100b company you can just hold.

Re: Stripe cuts internal valuation by 28%

#124
post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Preferred shares, covenants, etc - there’s no way you can guarantee an employee static dollars without finessing the cap table. The things that keep the compensation static on paper are usually tested and stressed during an acquisition, and a public offering at a valuation lower than the highest priced round - additional terms begin at those points: clawbacks, earn outs, lockups, tips, first rights of refusal, and ne…

I don't know how stripe does it , but employees want to know what his stock is worth and the company needs to know how much stock to give. Since we are private we just say "our internal best guess for our evaluation is $XXmillion therefore we will give you X number of shares worth $200k at this valuation. There is no finessing of the cap table. We have pre allocated a certain percentage of stock for employees, we iss…

If they’re able to keep all things equal, with your example in mind, then they cushioned the employee pool at an earlier round and are burning through the shares faster than when the round closed. It’s a bandaid, the real hope hope is that the injury in terms of valuation is truly a scratch that won’t leave a scar.

Re: Stripe cuts internal valuation by 28%

#125
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please feel free to send any worthless Stripe RSUs my way. I've been looking for a way to pay someone for some of them for the better part of a decade at this point.

Tbh this seems like an odd investment choice given the context of this thread. You know that stock price is tied to their valuation right?

[deleted]

Re: Stripe cuts internal valuation by 28%

#126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm genuinely curious why you say this. Could you please elaborate? I've only worked at publicly traded companies. I don't understand how this wouldn't be the exact situation you'd want to be in. my understanding is this: 1. If you're granted options at price X, and the new share price is lower than X, you're under no obligation to exercise your options. So no real financial loss or cost to you. 2. If you're granted…

It's designed to screw employees out of upside and they sell it pretending it's employee favorable. If you reprice equity comp each year then you lose most of the upside. Compare the two following equity plans: Example Year 1: --- PLAN 1 FMV: $1 Strike: $1 Total #: 40k ISOs Vesting: 4yrs --- PLAN 2 FMV: $1 Strike: $1 Total #: 10k ISOs Vesting: 1yr --- In the second plan you get granted new equity per year targeting s…

You’re thinking way too hard - they have talent they need to retain. Promise status quo for the foreseeable to common shares even in the “wild world.” When the exit comes, see how common vs debt/preferred are treated.

Re: Stripe cuts internal valuation by 28%

#129
post #121
post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you clarify? By any measure we're already in a recession today. I'm certainly no economist so maybe there is some other detail we're missing?

We aren't in a recession. The broad job market is still way too tight. But it is coming. It is being engineered by the Fed to reduce inflation. Probably sometime next year.

Recession is measured by GDP. Unless we're not using the technical definition. In which case a recession doesn't have a firm meaning.

Re: Stripe cuts internal valuation by 28%

#130
post #96

Scary this is just the beginning... a recession has not even started

I think you are 6 months into recession the readouts will just make it official.

Gross Domestic Product, 2nd Quarter 2022 (Advance Estimate) July 28 08:30 AM

https://www.bea.gov/news/schedule

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