Feb 6, 2020 - Economy & Business

Uber's 2019 Q4 was slightly better than analyst expectations

Photo: DENIS CHARLET/AFP via Getty Images

Uber posted its fourth quarter results on Thursday, slightly exceeding analyst expectations, giving its stock a small price bump after market close.

Why it matters: Uber has not only been under growing pressure to show it can turn a profit sooner than later, but the company is facing new regulations in California that threaten its classification of drivers as contractors, instead of employees.

By the numbers:

Revenue: $4.07 billion, compared to $4.06 billion expected by analysts.
Loss per share: $0.64 per share (excluding certain expenses), compared to $0.68 expected by analysts.
Gross bookings: $18.1 billion for Q4, up 28% from a year ago.
Monthly active platform consumers: 111 million, up 22% from a year ago.
Trips: 1.907 billion, up 28% from a year ago.

Go deeper: Uber rolls out changes to California ride-hailing in wake of new law

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Kia Kokalitcheva

Uber's AB5-related changes haven't been great for California riders

Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Prices and wait times have gone up for Uber passengers since the ride-hailing began making changes last month because of a new state law that makes it harder to classify workers as independent contractors, Uber CEO Dara Khorowshahi told analysts on Thursday.

Why it matters: Uber and other companies like Lyft, Postmates, Doordash have aggressively pushed back on the new law, known as AB5, as it threatens their business models.

Go deeperFeb 6, 2020 - Economy & Business

Axios

How Uber, Lyft made traffic worse

Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images.

Ride-sharing companies aren't the traffic solution they'd once hoped to be, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The big picture: "Multiple studies show that Uber and Lyft have pulled people away from buses, subways and walking, and that the apps add to the overall amount of driving in the U.S.," per the Journal.

Go deeperFeb 17, 2020 - Economy & Business

Kia Kokalitcheva

Uber, Postmates lose attempt to halt new California gig worker law

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A federal judge in Los Angeles denied a request by Uber, Postmates and two drivers to halt the enforcement of California's new law that codifies strict requirements for classifying workers as independent contractors.

Why it matters: This is a major blow to the companies and drivers in the case, as they were hoping to pause the application of the law while they sue the state to get it overturned. The law went into effect on Jan. 1.

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Keep ReadingFeb 11, 2020 - Technology