Amazon recommendation: The Google Story (paid link)
On April 29, 2004, Google announced that it had filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of its Class A common stock. In the IPO, a portion of the shares will be issued and sold by Google, and a portion will be sold by certain stockholders of Google.
Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse First Boston will act as joint book-running managers for the proposed offering.
A copy of the prospectus relating to these securities may be obtained, when available, from:
Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated
Prospectus Department
1585 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
(tel: 1-800-364-5990)
or
Credit Suisse First Boston LLCProspectus Department
One Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010
(tel: 212-325-1075)
A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such State.
In their registration statement, Google founders wrote: "Now the time has come for the company to move to public ownership. This change will bring important benefits for our employees, for our present and future shareholders, for our customers, and most of all for Google users. But the standard structure of public ownership may jeopardize the independence and focused objectivity that have been most important in Google's past success and that we consider most fundamental for its future. Therefore, we have designed a corporate structure that will protect Google's ability to innovate and retain its most distinctive characteristics. We are confident that, in the long run, this will bring Google and its shareholders, old and new, the greatest economic returns."