Uber's Growth Slows as It Diversifies Business Ahead of IPO
Uber's net losses widened to nearly $1 billion in its latest quarter as it invested in new businesses prior to its initial public offering expected next year, the private company said in its self-reported financial disclosures.
The losses were 32 percent greater than the previous quarter.
Revenues were nearly $3 billion, up 38 percent over the same period last year but a slower rate of growth from the prior quarter.
For the first time, Uber disclosed some numbers related to its fast-growing Uber Eats delivery service. That division accounted for $2.1 billion of $12.7 billion in gross bookings ー a 150 percent increase from the same quarter last year.
Uber's losses can be partially attributed to its increasingly diversified business model, in which ride-hailing is but one of the ways the company intends to make money in the future. In addition to Uber Eats, which is growing in emerging markets and will soon [cover](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/23/uber-plans-to-expand-food-delivery-to-70percent-of-the-us.html) 70 percent of the U.S. population, Uber has invested in new mobility offerings like e-scooters and bike shares.
Uber is on course for an initial public offering in 2019 that could value the company at as much as $120 billion.
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Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros or $75 million for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals. The consumer rights ministry announced the fine on Monday. The ministry stated that many listings lacked proper license numbers or included incorrect information. The move is part of Spain's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term rental companies amid a housing affordability crisis especially in popular urban areas. The ministry ordered Airbnb in May to remove around 65,000 listings for similar violations. The government's consumer rights minister emphasized the impact on families struggling with housing. Airbnb said it plans to challenge the fine in court.
Roomba maker iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but says that it doesn’t expect any disruptions to devices as the more than 30-year-old company is taken private under a restructuring process. iRobot said that it is being acquired by Picea through a court-supervised process. Picea is the company's primary contract manufacturer. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based anticipates completing the prepackaged chapter 11 process by February.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
