Lessons From Groupon’s First Year as a Public Company

Groupon logoGroupon’s IPO boasted a price of $20 a share. Today, Groupon’s shares are trading at about a fifth of that, closing at $4.46 Thursday. With Groupon’s IPO anniversary coming up on Nov. 4, what lessons can we glean? IPO investors should learn that they should be careful what they wish for and conduct some due diligence instead of clamoring to get a piece of the hot IPO in town. For Andrew Mason, the lesson is “Shtick isn’t a management style.” For almost everybody, Groupon’s first year as a public company should remind them that anything that seems too good to be true probably is. (Crain’s Chicago Business)