The Initial Public Offering (IPO)

Max Levchin and Peter Thiel, Paypal

Paypal was the first company to file for IPO status after 9/11 and consequently faced much-stricter-than-normal scrutiny. Additionally, the night before a deadline the founders found out that they were being sued for patent infringement. After a sleepless night and rushed meeting with a lawyer, the suit was dropped. The process was so rushed and stressful that it remains just a blur in the memories of the founders.