As usual, there’s a lot going on in the rideshare and delivery world. This week we’ll talk about a battle of the tweets that have some CEOs in hot water, a PSA to get enough sleep before driving and more in this week’s roundup with senior RSG contributor Paula Gibbins.
Philly’s Delivery Guys is a start-up ready to compete with food delivery giants such as Grubhub, UberEats. Here’s how it will do it. (Inquirer)
Summary: Victor Tejada, 35, founded Delivery Guys based on his own experience. The graphics and software designer had been delivering food during most of the pandemic, after he left Comcast to launch his first start-up, which failed last year.
As he delivered meals with Grubhub for large franchises and smaller restaurants, he learned that the logistics and programming systems of giant delivery service companies weren’t sensitive to the realities — such as one-employee sites and limited access to capital — of small business owners, especially those run by marginalized entrepreneurs.
So, he brainstormed his idea with local restaurateurs to center the food delivery service company around their needs. Then, he incorporated the Delivery Guys App, a system he developed and programmed for iOS and Android smart phones.
The company now has about 50 drivers working with eight food preparers and convenience stores owned by Dominican, Puerto Rican, American, Nigerian, and Vietnamese entrepreneurs in West, North, and Northeast Philly. More than 50% of the drivers are women who mostly work part-time….
My Take: This is actually a really neat thing. It would be exciting if other cities could follow suit, or if Delivery Guys will continue to expand. Instead of money-grubbing businesses who only care about the bottom line, Delivery Guys seems to really care about forming a community and making sure all sides of the coin are satisfied with the conditions.
Something like this might even make more sense in smaller communities where the business owners can’t afford the fees of DoorDash or Grubhub or the like. Very commendable and I hope they continue to see success.
Uber’s stake in Didi shrank by $2 billion this week amid China crackdown on U.S. listings (CNBC)
Summary: Didi’s market cap plunge this week had an outsized impact on Uber, which owns about a 12% stake in the Chinese ride-hailing company.
The value of Uber’s shares plunged by over $2 billion and its stake is now down by half since just after Didi’s IPO last month.
China is cracking down on companies that go public in the U.S., threatening severe fines and potential delistings….
My Take: Ouch. I bet Uber is feeling that one. Losing $2 billion is never a good thing, but most especially when Didi hasn’t even been public for all that long.
However, despite being $2 billion, it really didn’t affect Uber as much as one would think. According to the article, “Uber’s shares have held up this week, rising 2.8% to $47.46.”
Similarly, another article this week that I won’t expand upon too much shows that SoftBank, one of Didi’s largest investors, is planning on selling about one-third of its stake in Uber to help recover some of the damages of Didi.
CEOs told to ‘think before they tweet’ after Just Eat spat with Uber (The Guardian)
Summary: Chief executives are being warned to “think twice before they tweet” after the boss of takeaway company Just Eat Takeaway was told his Twitter spat with Uber threatened to undermine the firm’s reputation.
Jitse Groen this week became the latest in a growing list of chief executives to be rebuked by customers, investors and even regulators over ill-judged tweets.
Cat Rock Capital Management, an activist investor which has a 4.7% stake in Just Eat, highlighted Groen’s Twitter battle with Uber boss Dara Khosrowshahi as an example of outbursts that damaged the brand. The investor said Groen’s tweets had partly led to the firm being “deeply undervalued and vulnerable to takeover bids at far below its intrinsic value”….
My Take: Just because you can tweet doesn’t mean you should. It’s the internet. Even if you go back and delete it, someone saved it somewhere and will be able to pull it up time and time again to throw it back in your face. There’s no escaping the internet.
But if there’s one thing the internet is good for, it’s a pissing match between two rivals who don’t seem to realize the rest of the world is watching too.
Lyft driver who fell asleep at wheel in fatal crash arrested, California cops say (Herald Sun)
Summary: A Lyft driver accused of falling asleep behind the wheel, causing a crash in Tustin that killed his 70-year-old passenger in April, now faces manslaughter charges, California police say.
Police arrested Andy Van Pham, 30, on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with ordinary negligence Wednesday following an investigation, a press release said.
Pham fell asleep at the wheel at 7 a.m. April 4 while driving a 70-year-old woman, police said. His vehicle hit a light pole, seriously injuring the woman, who later died….
My Take: I can’t stress this enough: One of the most important things a driver can do is make sure they get enough sleep. Driving while sleep deprived or while tired is one of the stupidest mistakes a driver could make.
You know yourself pretty well, I’d wager. If you know you’re getting to the point where you need to stop, then stop. I know there are bills to pay and quests to complete, but it’s not worth your life and it’s not worth someone else’s life to risk it all for a couple more trips.
Go home. Get some sleep. Stay safe.
Instacart vs. the grocery store: Surprising reason one is much better for your family’s safety (Komando)
Summary: Kim’s mother is sick and undergoing chemotherapy. Research has shown that carrots may possess cancer-fighting properties. In addition, carrots are recommended to chemo patients as a good source of nutrition and possibly improving treatment.
Kim added carrots to her virtual Instacart shopping cart, along with other groceries. She then got an email from Instacart that those carrots were part of a recall. The email read:
“One or more products you recently purchased through Instacart may be included in a product recall. For more information about the recall and return options, please see the link below: www.fda.gov. If you purchased these products for someone else, please provide them the information from this email.”
The FDA link provided details of the recall, including the reason for it (possible salmonella contamination) and instructions for consumers regarding what to do with the carrots and who to contact.
My Take: I have to admit, this is an upside of Instacart that I had never even considered before. You hear the stories now and again about how romaine lettuce is tainted and recalled, and everyone knows just don’t buy any right now. But I’ve never thought to look up which foods might be dangerous at any given time. I just assume the grocery stores are well-informed and take care to eliminate those foods.
However, to provide this kind of added level of service is topnotch, in my opinion. And if it saves me from getting a foodborne illness, that’s just the cherry on top.
Have you ever gotten a message letting you know some of the food you ordered may be on recall? Do you think this is a beneficial feature?
-Paula @ RSG
