The daily business briefing: December 29, 2017

Uber sells a major stake to Softbank, Apple apologizes for slowing down old iPhones, and more

The Uber app opens on a smartphone
(Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)

1. Uber sells a 15 percent stake to Softbank

Uber on Thursday sold a major stake to a group led by Japanese technology conglomerate Softbank in a deal valuing the ride-hailing company at $48 billion, down from its $68 billion valuation in June 2016. Softbank, which is investing $7 billion, will acquire 15 percent of Uber, while its co-investors will get just under 3 percent. Uber said it expected the transaction "to support our technology investments, fuel our growth, and strengthen our corporate governance." The deal will give Uber and its shareholders cash ahead of its initial public offering of stock, planned for 2019, and help stabilize the company after a year of infighting and scandal that led to the resignation of former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.