What is the difference between a public and private company?

Answer 1

If you mean privately held vs. publicly traded, stock of a publicly traded company is traded openly and freely on recognized markets and exchanges (e.g., NYSE, NASDAQ, etc.) and stock of privately held companies is not... it is usually held by a single shareholder or small number of shareholders. The foregoing is offered for the general interest of the reader. It is NOT legal advice or opinion and the comment does NOT create an attorney-client relationship. The vast majority of U.S. corporations are privately held.