Can someone explain how deeply unprofitable companies can go public and somehow do well? I understand that companies are able to pull Mitt Romney's and do terrible things to make money with companies that were losing money every year, but how does it happen that people want to buy stock of a company that is losing so much money? Do I even want to know?
The Mitt Romney comment is rather ignorant. There are many, many major companies that were rescued by Bain. A simple minded view of that industry is to do a discredit to the companies that thrived because of Bain. Staples, Guitar Center, Dominoes Pizza, the list goes on. If it weren't for Mitt Romney, there's be dozens of companies that would have simply gone bankrupt. Business isn't around to be a public service, it's sole purpose is to make a profit; with those profits, they are able to provide people with jobs. If Apple didn't make a profit and closed down, imagine how many people in our community would be out of a job. Profit provides an incentive to operate. I don't make a living writing computer code for charity; our livihoods depend on profit, like it or not.