Opera had been making web browsers for 22 years when it listed in New York, and by then its owners were Chinese. The company traced its roots to a Norwegian startup formed in June 1995. Its first browser came out in September 1996. In 2016 a consortium led by Yahui Zhou bought the business. By early 2018 Opera served about 322 million people a month, many of them on phones in emerging markets.

A Third Choice Since 1996

Opera never ruled the desktop. It survived by being fast and lean, and its mobile browsers did well where data was slow or costly. By 2018 the company also pitched itself as a news and content business, with recommendations driven by artificial intelligence. About 239 million of its monthly users were on phones and PCs. The bet was that a browser people trusted could also choose what they read, and sell ads around it.

Twelve Dollars an ADS

Opera priced its American depositary shares at $12 each in July 2018 and listed on Nasdaq as OPRA. Bitmain, the bitcoin mining company, and IDG Capital bought shares in private deals alongside the offering. Opera later launched Opera GX, a browser for gamers, and added AI tools to its products. The company is still public on Nasdaq, with its headquarters in Oslo.

Cover: Rehearsal of the Pasdeloup Orchestra at the Cirque d'Hiver, John Singer Sargent. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for an orchestra in rehearsal (Opera).