Private markets is where the wealth is (if you invested at the bottom), as soon as Stripe goes public you're getting dumped on.
Unfortunately you need to be an accredited investor to access these markets.
This is the real gatekeeping here as rich pop stars, actors, sports stars and musicians who aren't versed in tech has more access to investing in these private companies than the academics, students in europe creating the algorithms that power them.
An 11 year old can inherit $100 million and be more "accredited" than you, even though they (may) have no knowledge of the industry, no investing experience and no years of industry experience.
Even if you have knowledge in the tech scene and you know which companies are going to go big in the future, unless you're ultra rich already to qualify as accredited, you're shut out early on.
The public can absolutely participate in this by way of syndication deals. Those syndicates are what's covering up the true extent of ownership and they're essentially charging for access with their fees. It's oddly shady, poorly regulated, and more expensive than just being public, but everyone can ride this ride.
> Businesses running on Stripe generated $1.9 trillion in total volume
I think we hackers in general also need to have a value assigned. Even open source authors generate real value but right now I see an imbalance as to who makes money and who does not. I'd even almost go as far as say that taxes (a state gathers) should go to a certain percentage value back to the open source community. There are a lot of details missing here, of course, but from a core view this only seems fair.
I'l also never forget Bill Gates anti-open source letter. That should instantly yield a 99.999% extra tax on him.
I remember when Stripe started and it was super fun to set it up as a developer and build stuff.
Today I find it does way too much for small projects and the fees are too high. Does anyone knows of good alternatives for that? (Someone recently shared https://astrafi.com/ with me and it seemed promising, with much better fees, but I haven't tested or used anything other than Stripe)
Braintree had $1.53 trillion TPV in 2023[0], and it's just a subsidiary of Paypal which has tanked to $40 billion market cap despite revenue and profit that are probably lightyears ahead of Stripe.
Honestly, I wouldn't touch Stripe with a ten foot poll at this valuation. Fintech is an industry that just disappoints in the end.
Visa is valued at $585B and Mastercard is valued at $444B. Is Stripe making more revenue per transaction than Visa and Mastercard?
Score Breakdown
+0.13
PreamblePreamble
Medium F: Emphasis on economic opportunity and inclusion
Editorial
+0.15
Structural
+0.10
SETL
+0.09
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
Announcement of tender offer and annual letter framed around growth and employee liquidity; mild positive signals toward dignity and economic rights, but limited explicit HRCB language.
ND
Article 1Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood
No observable content directly addressing equality and dignity in inherent rights.
ND
Article 2Non-Discrimination
No observable content addressing non-discrimination or distinctions.
ND
Article 3Life, Liberty, Security
No observable content addressing right to life, liberty, or personal security.
ND
Article 4No Slavery
No observable content addressing slavery or servitude.
ND
Article 5No Torture
No observable content addressing torture or cruel treatment.
ND
Article 6Legal Personhood
No observable content addressing right to legal personhood.
ND
Article 7Equality Before Law
No observable content addressing equality before law.
ND
Article 8Right to Remedy
No observable content addressing judicial remedy for rights violations.
ND
Article 9No Arbitrary Detention
No observable content addressing arbitrary arrest or detention.
ND
Article 10Fair Hearing
No observable content addressing right to fair trial.
ND
Article 11Presumption of Innocence
No observable content addressing criminal presumption of innocence.
-0.41
Article 12Privacy
Medium P: GTM tracking and third-party cookies employed P: No visible privacy policy disclosure on page
Editorial
-0.20
Structural
-0.35
SETL
+0.23
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
Active behavioral tracking via GTM infrastructure with client-side experiments; no on-page privacy disclosure. Structural signals indicate privacy intrusion without transparent consent mechanism visible. Domain modifiers compound concern.
+0.35
Article 13Freedom of Movement
Low P: Public newsroom accessible without geographic restriction
Editorial
ND
Structural
+0.30
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
No observable barriers to accessing public newsroom content; implies freedom of movement to information, though limited direct evidence.
ND
Article 14Asylum
No observable content addressing right to asylum or refuge.
ND
Article 15Nationality
No observable content addressing nationality.
ND
Article 16Marriage & Family
No observable content addressing marriage or family.
ND
Article 17Property
No observable content addressing property ownership or deprivation.
ND
Article 18Freedom of Thought
No observable content addressing freedom of thought or conscience.
+0.35
Article 19Freedom of Expression
Medium P: Public newsroom facilitates information distribution F: Transparency through annual letter publication
Editorial
+0.25
Structural
+0.35
SETL
-0.19
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
Public newsroom and annual letter publication support freedom to receive and impart information; no paywalls or access restrictions observed on news content itself.
ND
Article 20Assembly & Association
No observable content addressing freedom of assembly or association.
ND
Article 21Political Participation
No observable content addressing political participation.
ND
Article 22Social Security
No observable content addressing social security.
+0.38
Article 23Work & Equal Pay
Medium F: Tender offer to employees signals concern for economic welfare F: Annual letter emphasizes economic opportunity and growth
Editorial
+0.35
Structural
+0.25
SETL
+0.19
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
Tender offer provides liquidity to employees; framing emphasizes economic inclusion and opportunity. Moderate positive signal toward right to work and just conditions.
ND
Article 24Rest & Leisure
No observable content addressing rest or leisure.
+0.26
Article 25Standard of Living
Low F: Employee liquidity provision suggests concern for standard of living F: Economic growth narrative implies welfare expansion
Editorial
+0.20
Structural
+0.15
SETL
+0.10
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
Tender offer and economic growth messaging imply consideration of employee welfare and adequate standard of living, though limited explicit HRCB language.
ND
Article 26Education
No observable content addressing education.
+0.28
Article 27Cultural Participation
Low P: Public participation in corporate updates through newsroom F: Community engagement through transparent communication
Editorial
+0.20
Structural
+0.25
SETL
-0.11
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
Public newsroom and shareable updates provide access to corporate benefits and community participation; limited direct evidence but structural support for cultural participation.
ND
Article 28Social & International Order
No observable content addressing international social and economic order.
ND
Article 29Duties to Community
No observable content addressing duties to community.
ND
Article 30No Destruction of Rights
No observable content addressing interpretation or limitation of rights.