Uber IPO puts unicorns on notice: Theme of the Week

Bloomberg Opinion Today

Uber Technologies Inc.'s initial public offering has quickly become a cautionary tale — one proving very humbling for Uber but more than educational for other ventures that had been flirting with taking their companies (or parts of them) public. The ride-hailing company's market debut was as disappointing as that of rival Lyft Inc., which makes one wonder: When will the inflated valuations of Silicon Valley's unicorns finally stop drowning out the voices of investors looking for, well, actual profitability? Bloomberg Opinion's writers explored the ramifications this week of Uber's not-so-hot introduction to the public market, how other companies are responding and what it all means for investors.

Uber Waited Too Long to Go Public. Take Note, Unicorns. – Nir Kaissar

Uber Misses the Enchanted Forest – Matt Levine

Uber Eats Needs to Deliver More Than Ever – Sarah Halzack

Budweiser's Asian IPO Passes the Taste Test – Nisha Gopalan

Welcome to Volkswagen, Where Nothing Makes Sense – Chris Bryant

WeWork Separates Buildings and Beer – Matt Levine

Does Uber Make Masa a Savvy Investor or a Shopaholic? – Shuli Ren

Amazon-Deliveroo Alliance Would Eat Uber For Dinner – Alex Webb

Masa's $100 Billion Fund Plays a Game of Hot Potato – Tim Culpan

There Was No Way to Win With the Uber IPO – Matt Levine

Uber Is a Market Bellwether for All the Wrong Reasons – Jared Dillian

This is the Theme of the Week edition of Bloomberg Opinion Today, Sunday's roundup of our biggest commentary topic this week.