...direct listings are a considerably cheaper method of going public in which only existing shares are sold, no cash is raised for the company, and bank underwriters that help market the deal are largely cut out.
Spotify and Slack both chose this method over a traditional initial public offering. Both companies had smooth debuts. Private market investors made a killing.
Spotify shares opened at $165.90, up nearly 26% from a reference price of $132 set by the New York Stock Exchange the day before. The stock closed at $149.01, valuing the streaming music service at $26.5 billion.
....One big difference between traditional IPOs and direct listings is what happens when shareholders decide to sue a company. Right now, investors are suing Slack in California federal court, claiming that it did not fully disclose certain risks when it sold securities. Slack responded that the nature of its direct listing provision could, in essence, allow it to sidestep the Securities Act, according to the story:
...when Slack went public, investors bought a mix of shares, Slack said in a November court filing. Some were covered by the company’s registration statement filed with the SEC and other shares hadn’t been registered because they were sold by Slack insiders rather the company itself.
....Slack also said the plaintiffs can’t seek damages because there was no offering price in its direct listing, which would determine how much money the plaintiffs had lost.
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