Groupon Says "No" To Google Offer

By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 4, 2010 2:30PM

Last night Groupon rejected Google's $6 billion offer to buy the Chicago-based deal a day company. Groupon CEO Andrew Mason wouldn't comment on the news, which had been a cause for speculation all week.

Reports are that the Groupon board was divided over selling the company to Google, with newer investors wanting to put off a sale in the hopes that the company will be more valuable down the line. One wonders what would have happened to Mason's plans for Groupon 2.0, which he detailed to Time Out Chicago Editor-in-Chief Frank Sennett, if a deal had been reached. A source told the Tribune last night that Groupon may pursue an initial public offering next year.

If they did that IPO as a Groupon, that would be the most meta thing ever.