Facebook’s common stock is now changing hands in private sales at about a $4 billion valuation, a source says (unconfirmed). And Facebook CFO Gideon Yu is indeed trying to raise money in Dubai, the source says (also unconfirmed).

As we all know, Microsoft, Li Ka-shing, and some German investors paid a $15 billion valuation for some preferred stock last fall. Importantly, this preferred stock takes precedence over the common: Microsoft will get its $250 million back before common shareholders get a cent (common shareholders will get to split up what’s left). So it is inaccurate to say that Facebook’s valuation has fallen from $15 billion to $4 billion. More

Popularity: unranked [?]