Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. HOMEPAGE

Update On Facebook's Dubai Fundraising Trip

alwaleed.jpgWe are not privvy to Facebook CFO Gideon Yu's current whereabouts, and we're going to go out on a limb here and bet that Facebook will not confirm them for us. But, in any event, a reader submits the following:

Gideon Yu has extended his stay in Dubai, meaning things are going well. Also, I ran across NDA recently signed by the office of HRH Prince Alwaleed.

gideonyu.jpgNot sure we agree with our loyal reader that an extended stay necessarily means that things are going well. It might mean that things are going so badly that Gideon is being forced to visit every prospective investor in Dubai. But it does probably mean that the entire Middle East hasn't slammed the door in Facebook's face.

So, is it true? Is Gideon schmoozing HRH Alwaleed for some emergency Facebook dough? Is he going to get it? When? How much? And how much cash is Facebook burning, anyway?

Advertisement

Meanwhile, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is on stage at Web 2.0, where John Battelle is giving him the third degree. Mark's responses certainly do not suggest that Gideon is NOT in Dubai begging for money. They also suggest that Facebook's cash hasn't gone as far as they thought it would:

TechCrunch: First question, Battelle ask Zuckerberg about new financing rumors and trips to Dubai. Zuckerberg remains silent. In response to the question “Do you need money?” Zuckerberg says “no.”

Battelle digs deeper, asking if Facebook might run out of money sooner than they thought a year ago. Mark says that the site has grown much faster than they anticipated, but that international growth via user-translated sites is an efficient way to go. Mark also says the company has two very strong revenue lines - direct sales and online sales. Battelle asks him to break down the two streams, Zuckerberg won’t comment. He also brings up Microsoft revenue, but only says it represents a decreasing percentage of overall revenue.

Email: hblodget@alleyinsider.com

Advertisement

See Also:
Facebook Hemorrhaging Cash, Runs To Dubai For Money

 

Facebook
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Jump to

  1. Main content
  2. Search
  3. Account