
Didi is now backing Uber’s fiercest rival in Southeast Asia - erdevs
http://qz.com/749115/days-after-buying-ubers-china-business-didi-is-backing-ubers-fiercest-rival-in-southeast-asia/
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erdevs
Related article: [https://www.techinasia.com/grabs-2015-financial-numbers-
reve...](https://www.techinasia.com/grabs-2015-financial-numbers-revealed-
rivalry-uber)

Another aspect that I haven't seen discussed a whole lot yet in relation to
Didi's purchase of Uber:

Didi's $1B investment in Uber gives Didi an economic interest in Uber, but
perhaps most importantly it probably gives Didi investor information rights.
This is a big deal when it comes to navigating the waters to compete with Uber
directly or indirectly in markets outside China. Uber may also have
information rights on Didi, but those may only be shareholder (eg common)
rights vs investor information rights since Uber China's acquisition was a
merger rather than a cash investment.

In any case, I don't think people are giving Didi enough credit for how savvy
and strategic they were here. Uber seems to have been outplayed on every level
by Didi when they faced off. It will be very interesting to see what happens
over the coming years.

