Groupon's founders to retain control post-IPO
Once Groupon goes public on Friday, its founding trio won't be giving up their sway over the daily deals giant they started in October 2008, thanks to a dual-class share structure that's rigged in their favor.
According to an amended SEC filing posted today, Groupon's three founders--CEO Andrew Mason, Executive Chairman Eric Lefkofsky, and Director Bradley Keywell--will control 58.1 percent of the voting shares of outstanding capital stock. Specifically, the founders will own 34.1 percent of Class A common stock--each share of which gets one vote--and 100 percent of supervoting Class B shares, which each … Read more
