*By Michael Teich*
Uber is driving itself to the center of the scooter scuffle with its strategic partnership with Lime, a deal that will allow users to eventually request an electric scooter through its app.
Axios reporter Dan Primack, who broke the story, says there's a key advantage to the bike-sharing company choosing Uber as a partner over rival Lyft.
"One of the big reasons Lime wanted to partner with Uber is because Uber has much deeper geographic penetration, especially internationally," Primack said in an interview on Cheddar Tuesday. On top of that, "Uber has the deepest pockets right now. "
A fragile relationship with city officials, though, could hold back Uber and Lime from a complete transportation takeover. San Francisco is only granting five permits for companies to operate a dock-less, rentable electric scooter programs on city streets. While Primack said it's still unclear whether either company will be one of the chosen, he noted that Lime's survival does not depend on the SF market because it is already in 80 other regions.
"It wouldn't be end of world if they didn't get into San Francisco."
Despite sky-high valuations for scooter companies such as Lime and Bird, Primack told Cheddar it is unlikely that the industry is in a bubble. He also does not expect the deals in the scooter business to lose momentum, predicting that we could soon see Uber fully acquire Lime.
"My guess is that it would happen quick," he said.
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/primack-uber-best-positioned-in-scooter-wars)
Adtalem CEO Steve Beard addresses a report from Safkhet Capital taking the short position on the for-profit education giant, plus why he believes there should be financial recourse for student loan borrowers misled by their institutions.
CEO of Americares Christine Squires shares how the organization is helping provide medical assistance in a time of increasing instability, war, and climate-related disaster.
Doug Clinton, Deepwater Asset Management managing partner, shares tips for investors looking to take advantage of the massive boom in artificial intelligence beyond Microsoft and Nvidia.
Jason Moser, analyst and adviser at the Motley Fool, shares thoughts on recent tech earnings, including what’s behind Google’s share price drop and why A.I. could be Microsoft’s ‘iPhone moment.’
CEOs of social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and more meet with lawmakers Wednesday about how they are protecting children from sexual exploitation.
San Francisco 49ers president Al Guido discusses what goes into preparing for Super Bowl LVIII, building a championship-ready team, and how Taylor Swift and streaming are both bringing new fans to the NFL.
A $1 billion loss from a six-week strike did not crash GM's net income last year, which instead rose 12% — and the automaker expects improvement in 2024, too.
Accrue CEO and founder Michael Hershfield explains why Americans' credit card delinquencies are on the rise, advice on what can help, and the key difference between Boomers and Gen Z when it comes to money.
Senior Economist at Morning Consult Kayla Bruun shares thoughts on what to expect from the Fed's January meeting and where monetary policy is headed, as well as how consumers are faring.
