Private companies delay public listings amid regulatory hurdles

9 articles · Updated · The Wall Street Journal · Apr 27

The average wait to go public has risen to 12 years, with U.S. public companies dropping from 8,000 in 1996 to about 4,000 today.
Over 1,500 private 'unicorns' now exist, up from 175 a decade ago, limiting access for everyday investors and concentrating wealth among large venture-capital firms.
Calls are growing for balanced regulation to restore public market access and ensure basic investor protections as private markets open to more Americans.

The S&P 500 has beaten private equity for a decade. Is the private market hype just a myth?

Can regulators reverse a 30-year trend of companies avoiding public markets, or is the IPO model permanently broken?

Will new technology be enough to protect retail investors from the hidden risks of private markets?

With giants like SpaceX staying private, is public access to cutting-edge tech becoming a thing of the past?

Are Main Street investors getting a real opportunity or just serving as 'exit liquidity' for Silicon Valley insiders?

As huge tech IPOs loom, should investors be celebrating a boom or bracing for a market-topping bust?