A company or shares with a dual class structure has two or more classes of shares with different voting rights.
Typically, insiders are given access to a class of shares that provide more control and voting rights, while the general public is offered a class of shares with little or no voting rights.
Advocates say that these types of structures allow the people who founded and currently run the company to think long-term, rather than being dominated by short-term investors who want to make big profits right away.
Dual-class structures are controversial because they do not allow public shareholders to influence the management of the company and distribute risks unevenly.