Tired of ads? Enjoy an ad-free experience by signing up.
Shravanth Vijayakumar · · 6 min read

How Grab and GoTo match up against global peers

Welcome to the Opening Bell 🔔! Delivered every Monday via email and through the Tech in Asia website, this free newsletter breaks down the biggest stories and latest trends on Asia’s publicly-listed tech companies. Get it in your email inbox by registering here.

Hello reader,

Just imagine Marvel’s Avengers going up against DC’s Justice League, Walter White from Breaking Bad plying his trade in The Game of Thrones universe, or Naruto in Baryon Mode battling Dragon Ball’s Super Saiyan Goku on the big screen.

Certainly wets the appetite, doesn’t it? But before you grab the popcorn, these are just the wishful match-ups concocted by a film and TV enthusiast. However, it does inspire a sense of wonder, and that’s where the curious power behind these crossovers lies.

There’s something genuinely intriguing about watching your favorite characters from rival movies and TV shows come together in the same storyline.

These hypothetical tie-ups will likely not only bring in the big bucks but also put a full stop on a number of mindless fan debates. But scheduling and budgeting issues, coupled with the likelihood that a key character’s reputation may be damaged, make crossovers a risky business.

Luckily, you’ll have to deal with none of that in this week’s featured piece as Tech in Asia stacks up the food delivery and mobility leaders from various pockets of the world.

Think, Uber (UBER, NYSE) vs. Grab (GRAB, NDAQ), DoorDash (DASH, NYSE) vs. GoTo Group (GOTO, IDX) – and let’s not forget about China’s Meituan (3690, HKG).

Today’s premium story uncovers the unexpected reasons (there’s more than just respective market size at play here) for the general revenue disparities among these iconic businesses.

Read on to find out why operating profit is the metric of choice when comparing the world’s dominant mobility and food delivery platforms as well as where each of these tech titans stand in their pursuit of profit.

— Shravanth


THE BIG STORY

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Benchmarking GoTo and Grab against global peers
This gives us a sense of how Southeast Asia’s super apps are faring although the comparisons aren’t always apples to apples.

See also: As Grab leads SEA’s food delivery race, challengers vie for 2nd spot


3 Trends to keep an eye on


2 Eye-popping facts


The one you didn’t see coming


Stay ahead in Asia’s tech landscape

You've reached your 2 free content limit for the month. Sign up for free to read the full story.

🏄 For casual readers / 👶 Free

Basic

US$0

Free forever

Get instant access to this article and more every month

0 premium content

Unlimited news briefs

5

5 articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0 per day

⌛Sign up in 20s. No payment details needed.

📖 For learners / 👍 Starter

Lite

US$4.92/month

Billed annually at US$59/year

Get instant access to this article and more every month

4

4 premium content

Unlimited news briefs & articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0.17 per day

Cancel anytime

Our subscriber community includes professionals from these companies:

Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.

Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.

TIA Writer

Shravanth Vijayakumar

Fascinated by all things tech, business and sport. Always down for a healthy discussion on these topics. Feel free to reach me at shravanth.vijayakumar@techinasia.com