Facebook’s latest valuation just reached over $100 billion, and for some reason that struck a chord with me, especially considering the number of users on Facebook. So, just because it’s an interesting thing to think about and not a serious calculation, we decided to do some math:
We reported earlier today that the last auction of Facebook shares on the secondary market has been completed. According to PrivCo and other sources, the final share price of $44.10 values Facebook at roughly $104 billion. Most recently though, Bloomberg came up with a slightly more modest $102.8 billion.
As for users, the latest official number we can find clocks in at 845 million active monthly users, which comes directly from Facebook’s IPO filing. Interestingly, 850 million users has also been widely reported.
To stay conservative, we’ll go with $102.8 billion / 845 million users. This means each user is worth… approximately $121.
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Though this is all for fun and games, it’s perhaps telling as well. Every Facebook user adds up to the gigantic social platform we see today, and while the sum is likely greater than the parts, there’s no reason to discount the value of a user.
As Senator Al Franken said to the American Bar Association last night on the topic of antitrust laws in the US, companies like Google and Facebook don’t always have our best intentions at the forefront. This is a business for them. Here’s the exact quote:
But the problem doesn’t stop there. Because accumulating data about you isn’t just a strange hobby for these corporations. It’s their whole business model. And you are not their client. You are their product.
What do you think you’re worth to Facebook?
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