What does it mean when a company goes “public”?
It means the company has offered to sell its shares to the public (everyone). Everyone who buys the share will own part of the company. If 1000 shares are sold at $1 per share, there will be $1,000 worth of shares to purchase and anybody who buys 10 shares will own 10% of the company… 20 shares will mean 20% company ownership and so on. People who buy shares are called share holders and they share the profits or losses of the company. They also take part in decision making. So in summary, a company that goes public is a company that offers itself to the public to own and run.
