WeWork meltdown hasn't changed Grab's plans, co-founder says

Southeast Asian unicorn sees sustainable model in providing social value

20191116

Grab co-founder Tan Hooi Ling speaks at the Nikkei Global Management Forum in Tokyo on Oct. 29. (Photo by Karina Noka)

TAKASHI NAKANO, Nikkei staff writer

SINGAPORE -- The co-founder of Grab, which has become one of Southeast Asia's most valuable tech startups in just seven years, says the group's ride-hailing and payment business can help society while making financial sense.

Tan Hooi Ling stressed that the ideas of a "path to profitability" and "sound unit economics" -- phrases often heard in the valuation debate over U.S. tech groups like Uber Technologies and WeWork -- are "not new" to Grab.

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