Ride-Sharing’s Tempestuous Teens

Don't let the escalating Uber-Lyft-Didi Kuaidi battle make you think otherwise. Ride-sharing is very much in its adolescent years.

The current state of play—companies dominating specific markets—seems set, but it’s delicate. The status quo is being propped up by sloshing of loose capital that’s fueling a race for market share from New York to Delhi to Beijing. And even if a particular company is entrenched in one city, the globe is still up for grabs. There is no reason to think one player will run away with it all; as I’ve written about, ride-sharing network effects are more local than global.