Share Rules Could Push Offering by Facebook

Facebook likes big numbers — it now has more than 500 million users, each one of whom can have as many as 5,000 friends. Yet as a privately held company, its ownership base must remain small, or it will have to disclose publicly its financial results.

A surging shadow market in the privately held shares of Facebook is making such restraint difficult and could spur the company to go public — even
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2010/12/28/focus-on-private-shares-could-push-a-public-offering/?partner=rss&emc=rss