Mark Lennihan / AP The electric automaker Rivian already has raised billions of dollars from the likes of Amazon and Ford. Why would it want to go public? That’s the big question from a Bloomberg report that Rivian is talking to bankers about doing an initial public offering, or IPO, as soon as September. The IPO would value Rivian at about $50 billion and perhaps more, according to Bloomberg. WGLT has not been able to independently confirm Rivian’s IPO plans; a company spokesperson declined to comment on the report. There are upsides and downsides for a young company like Rivian going public.