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Video: Human IPO: Man Sells Himself For $10,000
Daily Ticker - Yahoo Finance ^ | April 17, 2013 | Nicole Goodkind

Posted on 04/17/2013 9:16:55 AM PDT by jwsea55

When faced with a problem or complicated situation it’s not uncommon for a person to ask friends for advice. But would you allow friends to make decisions about how to live your life? In 2008 Mike Merrill decided to split himself into 100,000 shares and set an initial public offering price of $1 per share. Shareholders would get voting privileges and decide what Merrill would do on a daily basis and on a grander scale.

Merrill started out by selling 929 shares to twelve of his friends. He paid $500 to a web developer to create a site with an online trading and voting platform. Within five years, Mike sold over 3,700 shares of himself and his stock price hit a high of $20.

Joshua Davis followed Merrill for over a year for an article featured in the April issue of Wired Magazine. Throughout that period Davis watched shareholders increase their control over many aspects of Merrill’s life.

(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Humor; Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS:
Did the investors overpay...
1 posted on 04/17/2013 9:16:55 AM PDT by jwsea55
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To: jwsea55

What if the shareholders vote to liquidate?


2 posted on 04/17/2013 9:18:09 AM PDT by Cowboy Bob (Democrats: Robbing Peter to buy Paul's vote.)
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To: Cowboy Bob

Does it mean if he was told to go jump in a lake, and there was no lake, someone would pay to get him to a lake ... so he could jump in ?


3 posted on 04/17/2013 9:19:17 AM PDT by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true)
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To: knarf

That sounds like a job for the Obama Department of Energy. The lake could cost as much as $500 million. Remember Lake Solyndra?


4 posted on 04/17/2013 9:21:17 AM PDT by Bryan
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To: jwsea55; Revolting cat!; Slings and Arrows

How much McDonald’s food will that buy?


5 posted on 04/17/2013 9:24:05 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (America 2013 - STUCK ON STUPID)
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To: Cowboy Bob
What if the shareholders vote to liquidate?

Probably Depends on how much he had to drink the night before...or fruitless if you meant monetarily.

6 posted on 04/17/2013 9:25:32 AM PDT by jwsea55
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7 posted on 04/17/2013 9:28:18 AM PDT by DJ MacWoW (My faith and politics cannot be separated)
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To: jwsea55

He should have kept 51% of the shares for himself that way he would have the controlling interest.

Mel


8 posted on 04/17/2013 9:37:58 AM PDT by melsec (Once a Jolly Swagman camped by a Billabong....)
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To: melsec

In 2008 Mike Merrill decided to split himself into 100,000 shares

Within five years, Mike sold over 3,700 shares of himself

- - - - -

Mike still has 96.3% of his shares.


9 posted on 04/17/2013 9:57:35 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: jwsea55

Obviously he didn’t get enough attention from his mommy when he was little.


10 posted on 04/17/2013 10:08:39 AM PDT by bgill
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To: jwsea55

This guy is definitely a few screws short of a widget.


11 posted on 04/17/2013 10:23:04 AM PDT by colorado tanker
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To: colorado tanker

I would be more concerned with people that thought investing in him was a good idea.

So if you buy 10% of him, he leverages the money and acquires $10 million in debt, he skips town, do you now owe his creditors $1 million?


12 posted on 04/17/2013 10:29:37 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: jwsea55

Didn’t Sandra Fluke do something similar, except that she was selling five minute shares for about a dollar each?


13 posted on 04/17/2013 11:40:38 AM PDT by Pollster1 ("Shall not be infringed" is unambiguous.)
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To: thackney

From a legal perspective, the whole scheme is unenforceable. It’s basically a contract for indentured servitude. But a fool and his money are soon parted . . .


14 posted on 04/17/2013 12:16:25 PM PDT by colorado tanker
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To: jwsea55

My favorite: “Shareholders voted down a vasectomy, decided he would wear Brooks Brothers exclusively, that he must be a vegetarian and vote Republican. He even granted voting members the rights to his romantic life, approving every date he goes on and every girlfriend.”


15 posted on 04/17/2013 12:47:15 PM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: Pollster1

And apparently that did not include bringing your own condom. That is why she needed $3000 more, so she could have more sex.


16 posted on 04/18/2013 10:03:46 AM PDT by Mr. K (There are lies, damned lies, statistics, and democrat talking points.)
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