IPO = Initial Public Offering, where shareholders offer to sell their shares to the public, shifting a company from a “private company” (it belongs to me, you, and that guy) to a “public company” (it belongs to anyone who pays enough for the shares).
The userbase has been always touchy when it comes to IPO, and rightfully so; they know that the new owners will only care about squeezing the platform dry. As such, I predict a new flood of Redditfugees to Lemmy and Kbin.
What, like… the company has taken a vow of silence? The company has a sore throat from screaming all night at a Nickelback concert? The company partied way too hard last night and just wants a morning of 90s cartoons and an isotonic drink? What?
It’s an actual legal IPO thing:
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/q/quietperiod.asp
But I like your imagery better. Heh.