The video-game company’s method would allow it to float its shares directly on the stock market, and comes after it raised US$520 million, giving its shares a US$45 valuation each. It previously wanted to go public in December 2020, but delayed it due to difficulty determining a share price during a hot IPO market at the close of the year. (The Wall Street Journal)

Talking point: The funding round values the California-based company at US$29.5 billion—a more than sevenfold jump from its last funding round in February 2020. Roblox will join other recent companies to go public via direct listing, including Spotify, Slack and Palantir. The move allows current shareholders and employees to sell stock to others on the first trading day, rather than raising money by selling new shares to new public-market investors. Unlike a traditional IPO, it doesn’t dilute value for existing shareholders and employees through a so-called “pop” experienced by other tech firms in recent IPOs, including Airbnb and DoorDash.