The battle between two of China’s biggest tech companies is escalating. As Didi Chuxing and Meituan muscle into each other’s turf, some investors are starting to worry that the competition may become a costly distraction for both as they prepare to go public.
Meituan, a $30 billion Beijing-based startup offering food delivery, travel booking and other on-demand services, has made a move into ride-sharing, launching heavily subsidized rides in Nanjing and Shanghai. In response, Didi, China’s biggest ride-sharing company worth $56 billion, earlier this month started a food-delivery service, Meituan’s main business, in the eastern city of Wuxi. After Didi launched a bike-rental platform, Meituan bought major bike-rental startup Mobike for $2.7 billion.