Funding Talks at Uber and Lyft Complicate Ride-Hailing Allegiances
SoftBank has agreed to buy some new shares at the same valuation, but would also participate in a tender offer sent to existing Uber investors, in which the Japanese company could potentially buy their Uber shares at a price
that is cheaper than the ride-hailing service’s last valuation.
In recent weeks, the companies have been in discussions for SoftBank to take a large stake in Uber — in the
neighborhood of 17 percent or more — with an investment of $10 billion, said the people close to the talks.
And, according to three people familiar with the discussions, Lyft has held recent talks to raise
funding from Alphabet, whose venture capital arm also happens to be a major shareholder in Uber.
SoftBank is one of the largest investors in Didi Chuxing, one of Uber’s largest former foes.
At the moment, Uber, the ride-hailing behemoth, is nearing a deal to receive billions of dollars in funding from SoftBank, the Japanese conglomerate,
according to three people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the talks are confidential.