peHUB First Read

Some links to kick off your Tuesday:

* Warren Hellman tells Fortune that private equity firms are going public for one reason: “It’s plain and simply a five-letter word that begins with G and ends in D. Nothing more.”

* What role should an early-stage board of directors play? Brad Feld has some answers.

* We all know Biogen is on the block. Could Genzyme be next?

* Chris Morrison likes TokBox, the online video chat company that just raised VC funding from Sequoia Capital. But he doesn’t quite buy the hype that it’s YouTube Part Duex.

* Some historical background on the proposed UK tax changes to carried interest, and a suggestion that they are being made in haste.

* For the first time ever, a Baby Boomer has applied for Social Security benefits. Now we get to find out if the system will, indeed, come crashing down around us.