The day has finally arrived. It really has. One second I’m sitting at home eating oatmeal and wondering if Utah’s companies are just going to be a bunch of privately-owned entities forever, the next I’m hearing Pluralsight is filing for an IPO. Confidentially. A lot of people aren’t aware what a confidential filing is but I definitely know, it just means CEO Aaron Skonnard had to fill out paperwork and drop it off to the SEC wearing a Groucho Marx disguise. Wait that can’t be right…checks notes, shuffles papers…nevermind, I just read a TechCrunch article about confidential IPOs and it isn’t as fun as it sounds. First, there is no mention of disguises, which is pretty disappointing. Second, a company files for a confidential IPO because it allows them to avoid public/media scrutiny during the process. After they file their S-1 (as Pluralsight has), the company goes into quiet mode and doesn’t talk with the media, avoiding anything that could be construed as promoting stock.
Now I’m definitely sure this is where the Groucho Marx disguises comes in handy, everyone at Pluralsight has to wear one until their stock is officially made public. This is mandated as part of the confidential filing process, if the SEC finds even one employee without a bushy mustache and fake glasses they freak out and force the guilty parties to get back tattoos like Ben Affleck. It’s nuts, I’ve seen the SEC dole out punishment with my own eyes, I hope everyone at Pluralsight is reading this through fake glasses, thoughtfully stroking a fake mustache. Take this step of confidential IPO filing very seriously, people. I mean it.
Now, the confidential waiting process begins. Everybody in Utah is fired up about the possibility of Utah’s unicorns going public and Pluralsight is the first domino to fall. I’ve heard rumors that Domo, Qualtrics, and Vivint have all started buying mass quantities of Groucho Marx disguises, I will confirm when I have more details. In the meantime, get excited about the possibility of owning Pluralsight stock and go about your day confidentially.
Related Pluralsight reading links:
- The Importance Of Culture At Pluralsight
- Aaron Skonnard Named MWCN 2016 Entrepreneur Of The Year
- The Rise Of Pluralsight
- Forbes Names Pluralsight As One Of America’s Most Promising Companies
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