Every day, 100k+ smart people read our newsletter. You can sign up here.
Hi readers,
They say that sometimes, two good people just aren’t good together. And it’s true: We’ve seen how two top students don’t get along, two sports champions often get on each other’s nerves, or two music divas plainly project their fans’ sentiments onto each other.
Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Gojek and Tokopedia. While the two tech conglomerates have different characteristics and fanbases, they are almost like life-long friends who have been there for each other since the beginning.
In my visual story that outlines the respective journeys of the two companies before their merger last month, you can see that since the beginning – as early as when they had launched their own apps – they already got each other’s balls rolling.
So when Gojek failed to marry Grab, the former knew exactly where to turn.
But whether or not their relationship will work perfectly as planned is another thing. Some might argue their joint forces will spur many synergies across industries and could bring a windfall, especially with GoTo planning to go public later this year, while others think it’s a little too late for them to overtake Grab’s SPAC mega-merger.
Well, we can’t know for sure what will happen in the future. For now, a little harking back to the old days wouldn’t hurt. And if you are just starting your business and trying to make it happen, hopefully, scrolling through the companies’ histories could spark your imagination.
— Budi Sutrisno, journalist at Tech in Asia
TOP STORIES THIS WEEK
1️. Visual: How a decade of work led to the GoTo merger
After the Gojek-Tokopedia merger, we reflect on the largely separate roads that these two internet powerhouses had been on before they finally crossed.
2️. Analysis: Carro is on track to hit $1b in revenue for latest financial year
Carro is set to grow 3x for the latest financial year. Its rival Carsome could also become a unicorn.
3. AirAsia steps into the online grocery delivery ring in Singapore
AirAsia is offering grocery merchants a 0% commission rate for the first month and a low commission rate of 5% thereafter.
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
