Social media giant Reddit will make a bullish entry into the public markets today, pricing its initial public offering (IPO) at the upper end of the anticipated range and raising a substantial $748 million. The range was earlier indicated as $31-$34. This move to the high end will inject vigour into the tech IPO landscape, which has been closely monitored from both traders and private companies alike.

Reddit announced that it and its existing shareholders offered 22 million shares at $34 each, putting the company’s valuation at approximately $6.4 billion. 15.28million shares are being sold by Reddit, with the remaining 6.72million shares being sold by certain existing holders of the stock. This valuation is notably lower than the $10 billion mark the company reached in a private fundraising round in 2021, suggesting a recalibration of expectations in the current economic environment. To put this into context against other tech stocks/social platforms, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) currently has a market cap 200 times larger at $1.29TN. There is plenty of scope for growth, both in user base and monetisation, which will undoubtedly be key to the future success of RDDT.

Reddit’s path to profitability has been distinct from its peers in the social media industry, such as Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Twitter. Since its inception in 2005, Reddit has yet to report a profit. The platform’s business model presents unique challenges with its reliance on volunteer moderators who oversee the content. These individuals have the autonomy to step down at will, adding a layer of unpredictability to the governance of the platform’s vast array of communities.

Despite historical losses and a model that relies heavily on voluntary content moderation, Reddit has secured considerable interest from the public and the investment community. The company has racked up losses totalling $717 million, and it is only in recent times that it has pivoted toward earnest revenue generation endeavours through advertising and other initiatives. Looking ahead, Reddit is aiming to bolster its finances by ramping up ad sales, licensing its vast array of content, and capitalizing on e-commerce transactions that are increasingly finding a home within its communities.

With a diverse and highly engaged user base, Reddit boasts a staggering 73.1 million users that span approximately 100,000 communities. This impressive congregation underpins Reddit’s pivotal role in shaping internet culture and discussion, from the frivolous to the profoundly impactful. One of Reddit’s most notorious communities, “wallstreetbets,” gained fame during the meme-stock saga of 2021. This event underscored the influential power of Reddit’s user base and was recently made into its’ very own movie.

 

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Discounting the portion of shares sold by existing shareholders, Reddit generated gross proceeds of $519.4 million from the offering. This infusion of capital is expected to be used to fuel growth strategies and potentially improve the platform’s ability to monetize its user base.

Investor confidence in Reddit will be tested as the shares commence trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ‘RDDT’ and is due to close on March 25th according to customary closing conditions. The IPO has been backed by an impressive roster of leading underwriters, including finance titans Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America. The path to the stock market has attracted a notable ensemble of investors who have seen potential in the platform’s unique position in the digital ecosystem. Among the high-profile backers are industry luminaries such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and the ever-innovative PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.

Reddit’s future trajectory will be closely watched. As the company attempts to navigate from a free platform with committed moderators to a profit-generating entity, it stands as a social media force with the potential to redefine the landscape it operates in. Whether this potential will translate into long-term commercial success remains a question for the future, but for now, Reddit has firmly grabbed the market’s attention with a successful leap into public trading.