Google`s founders value the company at $25 billion, expensive by anyone`s standards. Don`t expect that to deter bidders when the company does its IPO by way of a Dutch auction, though.

If you want to find out more about Google`s $2.7 billion initial public offering (IPO), don`t bother with trying Google`s front page. The most you will get is a four-paragraph press release stating the company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Whether this is a sign of Google`s secretiveness about its own activities, or simply an oblique suggestion that you should use the search engine itself, is not entirely clear. Maybe it`s a combination of both.