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Dec. 08, 2024 10:04PM EST
Dec. 08, 2024 06:16PM EST
Jul. 06, 2021 02:03PM EST
China cracks down on its own tech companies, complicating U.S. IPO plans
U.S. tech companies for years have grumbled about how the Chinese government favored its homegrown heroes, largely shielding them from global competition. Now, though, China is turning on its own Big Tech companies, reminding them who's boss.
Why it matters: This complicates U.S. IPO plans for dozens of Chinese companies, and potentially revalues even more Chinese unicorns.
Driving the news: China on Sunday banned DiDi from app stores, just days after the ride-hail giant went public on the NYSE at a $73 billion valuation.
- WSJ reports that Chinese regulators privately urged DiDi to delay its IPO, which the company neither did nor disclosed.
- Per WSJ: "Back in Beijing, officials, especially those at the Cyberspace Administration of China, remained wary of the ride-hailing company’s troves of data potentially falling into foreign hands as a result of greater public disclosure associated with a U.S. listing."
- DiDi shares were down more than 24% at this morning's market open, representing around $18 billion in lost market value.
- Chinese regulators also disclosed cybersecurity investigations into several other companies, including recent U.S. IPO issuer Full Truck Alliance, blocking them from registering new users.
- And there are new reports that Weibo (Nasdaq: WB) is considering a take-private plan amid the crackdown, although the social media company is saying it's untrue.
Flashback: Chinese regulators successfully scuttled an IPO for Ant Financial late last year, just days before it was set to price, albeit for different official reasons.
- The big difference between then and now is that, by letting DiDi and others go public before bringing down the regulatory hammer, China is putting a chill on foreign investor interest in future Chinese tech IPOs. And lots of them are (or were?) expected to hit U.S. exchanges in the back half of 2021.
The bottom line: What a government giveth, a government can taketh away. From both companies and its shareholders.
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Aug. 12, 2021 04:28PM EST
Taliban capture third-largest city in Afghanistan, 11th provincial capital in last week
Data: Al Jazeera and AP; Map: Axios Visuals
The Taliban captured the cities of Ghazni and Herat on Thursday, the 10th and 11th provincial capitals to fall to the militant group in recent days, AP reports.
Why it matters: Herat is the third-largest city in Afghanistan. Ghazni is the closest provincial capital to Kabul to fall to the Taliban — putting their frontlines within 100 miles of the heart of Afgahn government. Capturing Ghazni also cuts off a key highway linking it with Afghanistan's southern provinces.
- A newly released U.S. military assessment suggests that Kabul could come under pressure within 30 days and that the Taliban could gain control of the country within months, per AP.
- Kabul is not directly under attack, but "the loss of Ghazni tightens the grip of a resurgent Taliban estimated to now hold some two-thirds of the nation," AP writes.
The big picture: The string of swift Taliban successes in the final weeks of the U.S. withdrawal has dented hopes that the Afghan military and allied groups will be able to hold off the insurgency, Axios' Dave Lawler reports.
- Afghan officials have been seeking air support from the U.S. following its withdrawal, but the Pentagon has not said whether it could conduct such operations.
Go deeper: Inside the Biden administration as Afghanistan collapses
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