New Billionaire: Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook

Sandberg a billionaire as Facebook shares hit new high (via AFP)

Facebook shares climbed to a new high on Tuesday, catapulting chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg onto the roster of tech billionaires. Shares of the world's leading social network closed the Nasdaq trading day at $58.51, shedding a few cents in…

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Greed is Good at Facebook

Yes, Mark Zuckerberg is back in the top 20 on the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans. The Facebook co-founder and CEO saw his net worth double over the past year to $19 billion.

The reason for the "Greed is Good at Facebook" article title is that Zuckerberg owns over 20% of Facebook's outstanding common stock. This is truly amazing for a founder or co-founder of any public company to exert this much control and to have retained this percentage of shares.

The business press will not emphasize this, but your reliable reporters at Think Billions will.

Zuckerberg's net worth doubled because Facebook's stock has recovered nicely in 2013. It is as simple as that.

Facebook: the ultimate job security for Mark Zuckerberg.

Facebook billionaire trashes California countryside

Facebook billionaire Sean Parker has apparently trashed the California countryside in an unintended, environmentally unfriendly way in preparing for his recent wedding.

No worries, he has offered to pay $2.5 million for this wedding day miscalculation of not being aware he actually needed a permit in the Big Sur, Ventana area to launch and celebrate the festivities.

The California Coastal Commission has reached a settlement with the Facebook billionaire as a form of environmental payola.

Tumblr cashes out with $1.1 billion from Yahoo!

After being rejected by Facebook seven years to buy its social network for $1 billion, Yahoo! patiently waited out it's next opportunity. Most patiently.

The next opportunity is called: Tumblr. Price: $1 billion, plus!

Reaction from the blog-sphere? It blew up with disappointment. WordPress registrations have soared. Yahoo! has promised not to "screw this up."

Think Billion$ wishes Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and her staff the best of luck with Tumblr.

Facebook pays ZERO corporate taxes and celebrates!

Corporate Welfare Queen? Mark Zuckerberg?

Zuckerberg: "people underestimate us"

 

Seemingly challenging and laughing right back in his critics' faces, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says:  "I would rather be in a cycle where people underestimate us because I'd rather be underestimated. I think it gives us the latitude to go out and make some big bets."

At a technology conference in San Francisco, Zuckerberg gave his first interview since Facebook Inc.'s IPO in May, sounding very unconcerned with Wall Street, numbers, expectations or the plight of his shareholders.

WSJ: More Facebook shares ready to be sold

Facebook Inc.'s initial public offering and its subsequent stock-price tumble have been the subject of so much scorn, outrage, controversy, criticism and ridicule that to add anymore is just piling on.

My advice: Give it a couple of months. By then, you might think there hasn't been enough criticism.

That is because Facebook is still overpriced and it is about to be walloped by a flood of shares hitting the market.



More Pain to Come for Facebook

Peter Thiel cashes out of Facebook

Peter Thiel, an early-stage Facebook investor and co-founder of Paypal, was among the key insiders selling shares after a lockup expired last week.

A SEC regulatory filing shows that Thiel, sold about 20 million shares of Facebook through affiliates such as his Founders Fund and other entities. The shares were sold for between $19.27 and $20.69, for a total of about $396 million.

Facebook investors get what they paid for

In honor of Mark Zuckerberg and his jets, flights and everything else Facebook, Elton John plays "Mark Bennie and the Jets" for us.

The Facebook hit to UBS: $350 million

ZURICH—UBS said it took a loss of more than $350 million on the ill-fated Facebook Inc. initial public offering, wiping out nearly half of its second-quarter profit, and it accused Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. of a "gross mishandling" of the stock-market listing.

Wall Street Journal article

Facebook: A Dog with Fleas

Gordon Gekko to Bud Fox - Wall Street (1987)

"Not bad, but that's a dog with different fleas."

The stock is in a nose-dive. The CEO is offering Wall Street no guidance on future operating expectations. People are now calling the company FaceBerg. Investors feel "Zucker-punched." Mark Cuban exited the stock weeks ago with a $200k hit to his personal balance sheet. The last minute over-pricing of the Facebook IPO (as recommended by the Facebook CFO) now looks like an exercise in pure greed.

But, nevertheless, and in the interest of fair reporting and commentary, the stock and the company still has fans. This is what passes for sophisticated financial analysis on Wall Street these days:

"The company's user base currently comprises the third-largest country in the world, and its emphasis on mobile platforms suggests to us that it can become the largest country in the world in a matter of years. Facebook has immense value, which may not be readily apparent from its near term earnings, but which is substantial nonetheless." - Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter

Mark Zuckerberg's credit score gets him a low mortgage rate

Bloomberg News:

Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg is giving new meaning to the term "the one percent." The Facebook Inc. (FB) founder refinanced a $5.95 million mortgage on his Palo Alto, California, home with a 30-year adjustable-rate loan starting at 1.05 percent, according to public records for the property.

Peter Thiel is Open For Business

Peter Thiel opens Mithril Capital Management with a $402 million fund


Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and early stage investor in Facebook, has opened up a new venture capital fund based in San Francisco.

Mithril Capital will seek growth opportunities — these will be start-ups that have already received venture funding and are looking achieve significant growth during the next stage.

Has Mark Cuban Hedged His Facebook Position?

Has Mark Cuban Hedged His Facebook Position?


There are five (correct) answers to this question. They are (in no particular order):

a. who knows?
b. he'd be stupid if he wasn't
c. Broadcast.com
d. Yep, he's gotta to be
e. Yes, his silence (no posts or tweets) on this means only one thing

First, let's take a look at Mark Cuban's current (disclosed) Facebook position---

(Long) 150,000 shares; average cost per share $32.49; total cost $4,873,500

Based on a 6/1/12 FB close at $27.72, Cuban looks like he is sitting on a net (paper) loss of $715,500.

Do we begin to worry and feel sorry for Mark Cuban and his Facebook trade? No, because we only can see his paper loss. No, because he already told us this is a trade, not a long term investment. No, because with an original FB position of nearly $5 million, he has a vested interest in monitoring trade. No, because Mark Cuban doesn't like to lose money. No, because Mark Cuban isn't stupid.

Back in 1995 Mark Cuban and partner created Broadcast.com, a multimedia company. Years later they sold the company to Yahoo! for $5.7 billion in 1999. But, Cuban then owned restricted Yahoo! stock that was locked up. Cuban was at risk owning (temporarily) illiquid Yahoo stock. Cuban was at substantial risk. Cuban didn't want to accept that risk. Mark Cuban wanted to transfer that risk to the options market. So, Cuban says he "hedged my stock with synthetic indexes, in case the market cratered in the six months before I could hedge my actual Yahoo shares. It cost me $20 million, but I protected what I had." (Fast Company, September 30, 2002).

In January 2000, Cuban bought the Dallas Mavericks, NBA franchise.

In May 2012, Cuban bought a little under $5 million of Facebook stock.

Mark Cuban is hedged.

More Facebook Lawsuits

As predicted by Think Billions, more lawsuits against Facebook

Facebook Inc(NASDAQ:FB): Milberg LLP Announces Class Action Lawsuits Filed Against Facebook, Inc. | Mesh Press

The complaints charge Facebook, certain of its officers and directors, and underwriters of the IPO with violations of the Securities Act of 1933.

Zuckers!

Mark Cuban, Facebook Speculator

Mark Cuban, last week, purchased nearly $5 million of Facebook stock as a short-term speculative trade.

Cuban sees it this way: “It’s a trade, not an investment. Kind of like buying a Mickey Mantle, a Hank Aaron and a Barry Bonds rookie card knowing there is a card show in town next week.”

Billionaire Facebook Couple in Chinese Documentary

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan unknowingly appeared in a recent China Central Television (CCTV) documentary filmed earlier this year while the couple was visiting Shanghai . The image has now gone viral across the internet.

Mrs. Facebook, a simple creature, a simple billionaire

Who is Priscilla Chan?


Well, according to Priscilla herself, she is but a "simple creature."

Now, that simple creature instantly has a most complex life ahead of her.

The newlyweds, Mr. and Dr. Chan-Zuckerberg, both went to college at Harvard and have been together for nine years.

And they tied the knot in a very private and modest event in California this month with fewer than 100 in attendance.  Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong entertained the guests.

Of course Mark announced this event on his Facebook page when he changed his relationship status to "married."

Congratulations to Mr. and Dr. Chan-Zuckerberg! Think Billions wishes you both well!

Facebook shares crash - E-Trade baby loses everything

Facebook shares crash in Day 2 of NASDAQ trading. E-Trade baby loses everything. Panic selling hits once hot IPO. Mark Zuckerberg on honeymoon. Chief underwriter, Morgan Stanley, repeats opinion that it "nailed the IPO price." Groupon already running a special on Facebook shares. Investor lawsuits may be a liquidity event for lawyers.

“We’re witnessing a lot of American wealth getting created. It opens a new chapter, an exciting chapter, for business in this country,” --- Carl Campanile, CNBC regular propagandist

Zuckers!

Fading Facebook: IPO opens at $42 and then massive sell volume

Facebook Friday is here as shares initially jump on the open NASDAQ in first day of trade. 

Over 60% of the FB float changes hands. Bill Gross calls it a bubble. Looks like a classic pump and dump.