The End of SoftBank’s Reign
In a year that’s been all about comeuppances, the bankroller for Uber and WeWork is overdue.
Welcome to Buy/Sell/Hold, Marker’s new weekly newsletter that’s 100% business intelligence and 0% investment advice. Each week, our writers Steve LeVine and Rob Walker will make sense of the most important developments in business and why they matter.
We know you’re busy, so think of our Buy/Sell/Hold labels as shorthand metaphor: a Buy if we view it as a positive trend or clever move; a Sell if it’s a disastrous mistake or a missed opportunity; or a Hold if it’s noteworthy but too early to call.
SoftBank’s Era of Dominance
The Buy/Sell/Hold Analysis
Over the past year, I’ve written about the “Daredevil Unicorns”: tech startups notable for both their outsized valuation and their attitude. In Silicon Valley, it’s assumed you’re going to tromp on turf where you don’t belong — that’s how old ways get disrupted. But it’s another matter when your whole schtick is to inflict ruin and sickness on the little guys. I’m thinking of Uber’s early joy in breaking down the taxi businesses across the globe or Juul’s marketing of flavored nicotine products to teens.
