A publicly traded company is a company that has sold shares of its stock to the public through an initial public offering (IPO). These shares can then be bought and sold on a public stock exchange, such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or Nasdaq.

When a company goes public, it becomes subject to various regulations and reporting requirements imposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This means that the company must disclose financial information, corporate governance practices, and other relevant details to investors.