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Facebook IPO: five things to know before buying the stock

About 1 out of every 8 people on the planet have a Facebook account. Now, with the arrival of a public stock offering, all those people have a chance to be part owners of this social hub. Should you buy? Here are five things to consider.

4. Mark Zuckerberg says his goal isn't profit

  • By Mark Trumbull Staff writer

Tucked in the stock prospectus, along with numbers and legal mumbo jumbo, is a "Letter From Mark Zuckerberg," Facebook's chief executive. His message is that he and Facebook have a social mission and that making profits is a secondary goal.

He describes what he calls "a huge need and a huge opportunity to get everyone in the world connected, to give everyone a voice and to help transform society for the future."

Mr. Zuckerberg doesn't disavow the goal of making money, but he says, "we don’t build services to make money; we make money to build better services." That view could rankle many investors who say his Job 1 is to maximize value for shareholders.

But it remains unclear how Zuckerberg and his team will implement his vision. The Facebook co-founder points out that "we have seen disruptive new approaches" in various industries in the Internet age. Pursuit of a mission beyond money could help Facebook be a disruptor and innovator. Or Facebook could see its own franchise disrupted by competitors.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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