Three Things (4/11)

The below content and projections are the opinion of the authors. Any conclusions or takeaways are their own. This should not be considered as investment advice. Investing involves the risk of loss and returns are not guaranteed.

1) DoorDash offers more stock to new hires as falling share prices across tech industry pressure compensation plans

• The company will issue a “top up” equity grant to staff hired in 2021.
• DoorDash shares have declined over 50% since hitting a record high in November 2021.
• Shopify and Amazon are among other tech companies that have tweaked comp plans within the last several months amid share price pressure.

Titan’s Takeaway: The tech industry isn’t unique in paying staff with a mix of stock and cash, but competitive labor markets can change the amount of patience employees are willing to exhibit when it comes to pay. And after a decade of mostly unabated appreciation in tech stocks, it seems employee and employer expectations have grown out of line.

2) Didi shuts down operations in South Africa as ride-sharing markets continue to consolidate worldwide

• The Chinese ride-sharing giant began operating in South Africa last year.
• Uber and Bolt are the two largest players in South Africa’s market.
• Didi’s entry into the South African market was its first push onto the continent.

Titan’s Takeaway: Amid China’s crackdown on some of its biggest tech companies, Didi faces unique challenges as it continues global expansion efforts. Didi’s retreat from South Africa also reinforces why Uber talks often about working to be first or second in each market where it has a presence — local ride-sharing dynamics suggest consumers like two choices, not three.

3) Disney moving ‘Dancing With The Stars’ to Disney+ in first push to bring live content to its streaming platform

• ‘Dancing With The Stars’ has appeared on ABC for 30 seasons over 16 years.
• The move will make DWTS the first live series to debut on Disney+.
• DWTS had aired on ABC on Monday nights, but will be moved to accommodate upcoming Monday Night Football games on the network.

Titan’s Takeaway: The strength of Disney’s library laid the groundwork for Disney+ to quickly become a clear number two streaming service behind Netflix. Leveraging its live content to continue driving growth will be a strategy that bears close watching in the coming years.