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"Groupon, which recently rejected a $5.3 billion offer from Google, does not have a $2 billion annual revenue run rate \u2014 a figure that's been circulating a lot in the tech press lately. Rather, it has an $800 million annual gross revenue run rate.\nLast week, AllThingsD reported that the group-buying website's run rate is $2 billion per year, not the $500 million that was reported by other outlets around the time.  The report came out at the same time as the news that the company had rejected Google's offer.\nAccording to a trusted source with firsthand knowledge of Groupon's financials, \"everyone is wrong\" about the startup's revenue numbers.  The company's actual run rate is $800 million in gross annual revenue, less than half the $2 billion being reported but still more than the $500 million figure that was floated around before the AllThingsD story.\nRun rate is a tricky number, though.  It's a projection of what the company would make if you extrapolate from its most recent revenue numbers.  Depending on the time frame used, the calculated annual run rate can vary significantly.\nStill, when you think about it, $800 million in revenue makes more sense than an astonishing $2 billion.  If the $2 billion number were indeed true, that would mean Google only offered to buy the company for 2.65 times greater than Groupon's revenue, rather low for almost any acquisition, especially one by an established company like Google.  An $800 million revenue rate results in a much more reasonable 6.6-times premium for the group-buying leader.\nThe Chicago-based company is probably no longer concerned with those numbers, though. It's almost certainly looking to shatter both revenue numbers in 2011.  With Google out of the picture, the company is free to swing for the fences and continue its unprecedented growth.  Where it will stop is anybody's guess.\nUpdated with more information on annual run rate."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2010/12/07/groupon-800-million/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29>