🚨 Ripple CTO Drops Truth Bombs on Private Stock Woes! 💸

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In the dusty plains of the financial frontier, where the buzz of Ripple’s latest deals has stirred the cattle of IPO chatter, a lone voice cries out in the wilderness. David Schwartz, the CTO with a heart as steady as a Steinbeck protagonist, steps forth to warn the eager prospectors. “Hold your horses,” he seems to say, “the trail to pre-IPO riches is riddled with six prickly cacti-er, pain points-that’ll leave you scratching your head and your wallet lighter than a tumbleweed.” 🌵💨

First off, there’s the pricing charade, where secondary brokers dangle quotes like a mirage in the desert. “Solid-looking,” they say, but built on sand-partial data, unreliable whispers. The buyer, poor soul, strides into negotiations blind as a bat in broad daylight, clutching a “market price” that might as well be written in disappearing ink. 🕶️✨

And who benefits? Why, the brokers and sellers, of course! They’re the ones fattening their saddlebags while the buyer’s left holding the bag-a slow, lopsided dance where the only winner is the one who didn’t show up. 🕺💼

(This ain’t no Ripple-specific tale, mind you. I’m just the town crier, not the sheriff. I’m neither hitching my wagon to nor running from this secondary market circus.)

There are a few rattlesnakes 🐍 in the grass when it comes to buying stock in privately held companies through secondary markets…

– David ‘JoelKatz’ Schwartz (@JoelKatz) December 10, 2025

Then there’s the information gap, a canyon so wide you could drive a truck through it. Private companies keep their cards closer than a poker player with a royal flush, leaving buyers squinting into the darkness. Meanwhile, the insiders-those sly foxes-sit pretty, selling what they know and leaving the rest to guess. It’s a game of catch-up where the buyer’s always two steps behind. 🦊🏃‍♂️

Execution? More like Exasperation.

Deals drag on like a drought, held up by ROFR steps, company approvals, and red tape thicker than a cowboy’s belt. Weeks turn to months, and the market shifts like sand dunes in a storm. By the time you’re done, you’ve paid 5% here, 5% there-pretty soon, you’re in a financial hole deeper than the Grand Canyon. And all for what? A shortcut to an IPO? Ha! It’s a detour through the desert, and excitement’s just a mirage. 🏜️💸

So, heed the words of the wise CTO, fellow travelers. The road to pre-IPO glory is paved with good intentions and bad deals. And remember, in this wild west of finance, the only thing certain is uncertainty. 🤠🔍

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2025-12-10 14:13