谷歌兩位創始人將拋售44億美元股份
Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have revealed plans to sell shares currently worth $4.4bn over the next two years, in a move that would leave them little room for further sales without ending their combined control of the company.
谷歌(Google)共同創始人拉里•佩吉(Larry Page)和謝爾蓋•布林(Sergey Brin)打算在今後兩年內出售一批股份，目前價值44億美元。在這批股份轉讓之後，他們如繼續出售股份，就很可能喪失對谷歌的聯合控制權。
The disposal plans, revealed in a regulatory filing, would leave the Google founders with barely half the shares they held when they took Google public in 2004. However, their remaining combined stake would still be worth nearly $45bn.
這一股票出售計劃是在一份監管文件中披露的，將令兩位谷歌創始人持有的股份降至2004年穀歌上市時的一半。不過，他們所持剩餘股份總價值仍接近450億美元。The expected sales were disclosed as part of a 10b trading plan, under which executives report their intended disposals but give up control over the timing of when the sales are made.
這次即將發生的股票轉讓是一項10b條款交易計劃的一部分。按照這一計劃，主管需彙報其股票轉讓打算，並放棄對拋售時間的控制權。
Mr Brin and Mr Page control Google through a special class of shares that gives them 54.6 per cent of the voting rights, even though their economic interest is only 13.1 per cent.
布林和佩吉通過一種特殊類型的股份控制谷歌，這類股份令他們雖然只擁有13.1%的經濟權益，但卻擁有谷歌54.6%的投票權。After the latest sales, their voting control will fall to only 52 per cent, Google said.
谷歌表示，在完成最近這次股票銷售之後，他們的投票控制權將跌至只有52%。The company issued a new class of non-voting C shares last year in a move to protect the founders’ control over the long term. The new shares are expected to be used to fund acquisitions and employee stock plans without diluting the founders’ control.
該公司去年曾發行過一種新型的無投票權C類股票，以保護兩人的長期控股權。這種新型股票預計將用於在不稀釋兩人控制權的前提下，爲收購及員工持股計劃提供資金。Google also at first proposed that Mr Brin and Mr Page — who hold half their stake in the form of the C shares — should be free to sell this class of stock to raise cash if they wanted.
谷歌起初還曾提議，允許布林和佩吉隨心所欲地自由出售這類股票，以籌集資金。在兩人持有的股份中，半數股份是這種C類股份。However, an investor lawsuit forced a settlement in which the founders agreed to sell their super-voting shares in equal proportion to the C stock, leaving them facing dilution to their control if they continue to make big disposals.
然而，投資者發起一輪法律訴訟，強制谷歌達成了一項和解協議。按照協議，兩人同意以C類股份相同比例出售其擁有超級投票權的股份。這導致他們一旦繼續大舉拋售股票，就有可能面臨控股權的稀釋。
