Editorial Board
Where Have All the Public Companies Gone?
Some businesses are staying private. Others are getting bigger. That’s not necessarily a problem.
Not right for every company.
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesThe people who supervise the U.S. stock market are grappling with what they see as a troubling trend: One of the great innovations of Western capitalism -- the public company -- appears to be losing ground.
Before deciding what to do, they should first ask whether this is a problem at all.