Raspberry Pi's IPO Journey- Balancing Profitability and Maintaining Community Love
Exciting news: Raspberry Pi is exploring the possibility of an Initial Public Offering (IPO) when the IPO market reopens.
Eben Upton, CEO of Raspberry Pi, is in talks with UK banks for the IPO, but challenges exist, as the UK markets haven’t been as favorable for IPOs compared to the US.
If the IPO materializes, Raspberry Pi’s ownership would be divided in the stock market, impacting earlier private investors who could secure substantial shares.
Going public brings different dynamics, with less control and increased governance by a board of directors or public ownership.
Raspberry Pi, despite its non-profit image, operates as a for-profit company (Raspberry Pi Trading) designing hardware, alongside a charity (Raspberry Pi Foundation) promoting computing education.
Raspberry Pi’s openness isn’t fully open-source; the rp2040 design and Broadcom’s chips contain proprietary elements.
An IPO might reshape Raspberry Pi, but enthusiasts hope it won’t compromise the aspects they love about Pi.
The IPO also opens doors for competitors to step up and potentially become a “Raspberry Pi killer.” Stay tuned for more updates!
