On: How the Collison brothers turned ‘seven lines of c...

[jacquesm]

My hope is they will not be acquired and will keep this stand-alone as a true alternative rather than be eaten and then to lose all their advantages. Acquisitions of companies like this usually spell the end of the line. Here's to hoping Stripe will IPO and will go on to acquire who could now potentially acquire them.

[jameskegel → jacquesm]

I'm not sure who'd have the ability to make that type of acquisition, to be honest. Maybe First Data? That would may even be a stretch.

[jacquesm → jameskegel]

Card issuers (VISA, MC), Amazon, Microsoft, major banks, Ebay, Paypal, Due, Payline, Paysquare. A leveraged buy-out would enable many more potential takers.

[segmondy → jacquesm]

Visa and MC are not card issuers. They are card networks.

A card issuer is a person that issues a credit card, so major banks, and Amex who happens to be both a card issuer and card network.

[adventured → jameskegel]

To add to the other list (all plausible):

Google, dozens of international companies (eg Softbank or SAP), Walmart, Target, Costco, IBM, Oracle, and numerous others.

Basically, several dozen companies are serious potential buyers. And that's before getting into the secondary list, which includes companies like Intel, AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, etc.

[jeffasinger → jameskegel]

I think a majority of their processing traffic goes through Wells Fargo. They would be a possible acquirer.

[kennydude → jacquesm]

I'm sick of seeing really good startups being bought out. Makes you not want to trust any of them long term