Nobody really uses stock certificates, anymore. US companies aren’t required to issue to them—Disney even stopped last week. But Twitter, which plans to go public next month, appears interested in offering paper certificates to shareholders who want them. Today the company released an image of the certificate as part of an amended IPO filing. Here’s what it looks like:
There’s no guarantee that Twitter will issue paper certificates for its stock. Facebook, for instance, released a similar image before its IPO but then had a change of heart and went paperless. And, in any event, don’t try printing out that stock certificate and calling yourself a Twitter shareholder. You really do have to buy some shares first.