Lyft獲Alphabet 10億美元投資

Google parent Alphabet has led a $1bn investment in Lyft, Uber’s biggest rival, in a move that sharply escalates the fierce competition between the two leading US ride-hailing companies.

谷歌(Google)母公司Alphabet領頭向優(yōu)步(Uber)最大的競爭對手Lyft投資10億美元，此舉大幅加劇了這兩個美國領先的叫車平臺間的激烈競爭。

Alphabet subsidiary CapitalG will head the investment, which values Lyft at $10bn, double its valuation at the beginning of the year.

Alphabet的子公司CapitalG將領導這次投資，本輪投資使Lyft的估值達到了100億美元，較今年年初翻了一番。

In securing Alphabet as a backer, Lyft has signalled the changing fortunes of the two ride-hailing rivals, with the Google-owning group switching sides at a key moment following a series of setbacks at Uber.

有了Alphabet這座靠山，Lyft已展示出它與優(yōu)步的命運正在改變，在優(yōu)步遭遇一連串挫折后，Alphabet在一個關鍵的時刻轉(zhuǎn)變了立場。

Alphabet is a major shareholder in Uber, although relations between the two companies have been strained during a bitter court case over self-driving technology.

Alphabet是優(yōu)步的一個主要股東，但在一場關于無人駕駛技術的不愉快的官司中，這兩家公司的關系已變得緊張。

Lyft, which has long been considered the underdog, has benefited this year as its rival has struggled. It now controls a quarter of the US ride-hailing market, an increase of nine percentage points compared to the beginning of the year, according to data from Second Measure.

Lyft一直以來都屈居下風，今年卻因優(yōu)步的境況不佳而受益。Second Measure的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，Lyft目前控制著美國四分之一的叫車市場，較今年年初增加了9個百分點。

“Lyft right now has a big advantage in that they are gaining market share, it is pretty popular, there are no self-inflicted wounds, and it has a lot of room to grow,” said Santosh Rao, analyst at Manhattan Venture Research.

“Lyft現(xiàn)在的一個很大優(yōu)勢在于贏得了市場份額，它現(xiàn)在很受歡迎，既沒有自己造成的創(chuàng)傷，又具有很大的成長空間，”《曼哈頓風險研究》(Manhattan Venture Research)的分析師Santosh Rao說。

Alphabet’s tie-up with Lyft comes at a delicate time for Uber, which is in final discussions over an investment deal with SoftBank. The deal, which has been delayed amid price negotiations, will see the majority of shares sold at a price that is lower than what Uber charged for its shares last year.

Alphabet與Lyft達成合作的同時，優(yōu)步正處在一個微妙的時刻，其與軟銀(Softbank)的投資交易進入了最后的商談階段。這筆因價格談判被耽擱的交易，將讓優(yōu)步以低于去年的價格出售其大量股份。

The investment values Lyft at $10bn on a “pre-money” basis, which excludes the new funds raised, 45 per cent higher than a previous fundraising just six months ago.

Alphabet的投資對Lyft做出的100億美元估值是一種“投資前”估值，其中不包括這筆新融資，這一估值比六個月以前Lyft上一輪融資時高出了45%。

One Uber shareholder pointed out that the new funding for Lyft could allow it to stay private for longer, continuing the price wars that have driven down the cost of ride-hailing in many US cities.

優(yōu)步的一個股東指出，Lyft最新的融資能夠讓其更久地維持私有，繼續(xù)打價格戰(zhàn)，這些價格戰(zhàn)已壓低了很多美國城市的叫車成本。

Alphabet investing in Uber in 2013 through its subsidiary GV. The relationship between Alphabet and Uber became fraught when the companies started competing on self-autonomous vehicles, prompting Alphabet’s representative to resign from the Uber board.

Alphabet在2013年通過子公司GV向優(yōu)步投資。后來Alphabet和優(yōu)步開始在自動駕駛汽車領域競爭，導致Alphabet的代表辭去了優(yōu)步董事會的職務，Alphabet和優(yōu)步之間的關系變遭。

Earlier this year, Alphabet’s self-driving car subsidiary Waymo sued Uber over alleged trade secrets theft, an accusation that Uber denies. That case is still ongoing.

今年年初，Alphabet旗下的無人駕駛汽車公司W(wǎng)aymo起訴優(yōu)步涉嫌竊取商業(yè)機密，而優(yōu)步否認了這項指控。目前這場官司還在審理中。

The backing of Alphabet could also provide a boost to Lyft’s own research into autonomous cars, which it is ramping up this year. Lyft already has a partnership with Waymo, and is also working with other companies on a plan to eventually integrate self-driving cars into its network.

Alphabet的支持也能促進Lyft今年正加大力度進行的對自動駕駛汽車的研發(fā)。Lyft已與Waymo達成合作，也在和其他一些企業(yè)合作，計劃最終將無人駕駛汽車納入自身的網(wǎng)絡。

David Lawee, partner at CapitalG, will join the Lyft board. The fundraising round will include investment from other groups that have not been named. Lyft’s previous backers include Didi of China, Carl Icahn and the venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz.

CapitalG的合伙人大衛(wèi)•拉韋(David Lawee)將加入Lyft的董事會。這輪融資還將包括其他一些尚未透露名稱的投資者。Lyft之前的投資者有中國的滴滴(Didi)、卡爾•伊卡恩(Carl Icahn)以及風投公司安德森•霍洛維茨基金(Andreessen Horowitz)。

Lyft has been in expansion mode this year, and its chief executive Logan Green recently said it would begin growing overseas “very soon”. The company is considering London, Toronto and Mexico City as possible first international cities.

今年Lyft一直在擴張，其首席執(zhí)行官洛根•格林(Logan Green)最近表示，Lyft將“很快”開始向海外發(fā)展。該公司正在考慮將倫敦、多倫多與墨西哥城作為其可能登陸的第一批海外城市。