What We Know (And Don't Know) About Snap's IPO

Snapchat's parent company, Snap, filed for an initial public offering, but details are still scarce. Cherlynn Low, Engadget's reviews editor, was interviewed by CNBC and offered her inside knowledge over what we know and don't know.

Low stated that Snap is not yet ready to fully offer all the details of its IPO and there is a lot of speculation as to why this is the case. It will likely remain a mystery until the company offers some clarification.

Low said that when Snap becomes a public company, it will begin facing additional pressure from shareholders to earn a greater profit. From the other point of view, Snap would likely need to become more intrusive in its app and maybe change the way it operates.

Low added that the IPO should arm Snap with the necessary capital to finance acquisitions in the future and even outrank Facebook Inc FB as the clear leader in social media.

In addition, Snap could expand its product offering beyond Spectacles and into new hardware devices.

Finally, Snap's IPO will be closely watched by everyone, especially the few remaining "unicorn" companies that themselves may soon feel huge pressure to launch their own public offering.