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In focus
- Terence Lee on Grab’s game-changing moves
- Why Indonesia seeks golden share in its golden child
- How a US city hints at the future of robotaxis in Singapore
Hello reader,
Last month, I wrote that 2026 might be the year of robots.
Since then, Grab has been broadcasting its ambitions in a promising field of robotics: self-driving cars.
Image credit: Arsal Ysfin
But as we highlighted in January this year, Grab will have a problem if it launches a self-driving fleet: placating drivers who worry about losing their jobs.
There’s a way out though. The company can make the case that autonomous vehicles can enlarge the market for drivers. We go into details about this below.
Even as Grab looks over the far horizon, an immediate opportunity has presented itself. I’m referring, of course, to its dramatic merger with GoTo, which the latter’s investors are salivating about – enough for them to want to oust its CEO. But as our Editor’s Pick shows, this move comes with political complications.
In any case, Grab can cement its dominance if it plays its cards right. And maybe founder Anthony Tan can soon adopt expensive hobbies like other tech moguls do, such as sponsoring a football club here or running for a sports association presidency there.
Terence Lee, editor-in-chief
Editor’s pick
Golden share gives Jakarta sway in emerging Grab-GoTo merger
Image credit: Timmy Loen
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