In China: Uber vs Didi Heats Up

Not so long ago ride sharing was nowhere, now it is seemingly everywhere. And one of the places where market share is hotly contested is China. Homegrown Didi Kuaidi faces off against Silicon Valley interloper, megalith Uber to get the RMB of Chinese passengers. Uberfuhrer Travis Kalanick says the company is “sustainably” losing USD $1 billion (DEM 1,714,286,800) in China. Didi, meanwhile, is reportedly raising USD$1.5 billion (DEM 2,571,430,200) in new funding to bring its value to USD$ 25 billion (DEM 42,857,170,000). Worldwide, Uber’s Reich is worth something like USD$ 62.5 billion (DEM 107,142,925,000). Watching this slugfest in real-time, one wonders how it will end, with a win for the home team, a surprise upset by the invader, or a draw with both competitors settling for a big chunk of the market. And who knows “the next new thing” might just catch them both by surprise. Log in and let us know what you think.

Photo: Carlos ZGZ via flickr