__The Cuba Treatment...__ According to [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-27/white-house-weighs-limits-on-u-s-portfolio-flows-into-china-k12ahk4g), President Trump wants to dish it out to Chinese stocks: The idea is to limit Chinese companies from listing their shares on US stock markets. That would basically cut off American $$$ from Chinese firms. It's why investors sold off __[Alibaba](https://robinhood.com/stocks/BABA)__ (the Amazon of China), __[Luckin Coffee](https://robinhood.com/stocks/LK)__ (Starbucks of China), and __[Baidu](https://robinhood.com/stocks/BIDU)__ (Google of China), and __[Tencent](https://robinhood.com/stocks/TCEHY)__ (everything-tech-ish of China) before the weekend.

__Update the LinkedIn profiles...__ 3 major business chiefs ducked out last week. 

- __WeWork's__ Adam Neumann was replaced by co-CEOs after a *WSJ* [report](https://www.wsj.com/articles/this-is-not-the-way-everybody-behaves-how-adam-neumanns-over-the-top-style-built-wework-11568823827) that he smoked weed on private planes and wanted to live forever (didn't help the IPO plans). 
- __Juul's__ CEO Kevin Burns quit cold turkey as concerns about teen vaping and vaping-related deaths led more states to consider/implement e-cigarette restrictions. 
- __[eBay](https://robinhood.com/stocks/ebay)__ CEO Devin Wenig departed since he and the board aren't on the same page about how to make money off the website you don't use anymore.

Lows

...and who's down

__Nice job avoiding the cliche "Amazon of (blank)"...__ __[Uber](https://robinhood.com/stocks/UBER)__ announced changes to its app on Thursday — it's all designed to make the mobility company the "[operating system](https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/26/20884800/uber-app-announcement-ubereats-safety-transit-updates) for your everyday life." Sound fancy. Here's what you'll see when you open the new app:

- __Food and rides now get equal treatment:__ Right away you have to select "Get a ride" or "Order food." Less thinking. The Uber Eats bachelor era as an independent app is over.
- __Safety. Safety. Safety:__ Uber's adding features to help you and your driver verify it's really Jesse behind the wheel. It'll also let you report problems mid-ride, not just after.
- __2 wheels, 4 wheels, 8 wheels:__ Continuing Uber's inclusive fairness, it's more clearly featuring scooters and bikes, and nudging you to take buses or subway when it makes sense. San Francisco, Mexico City, and Paris get a new transit feature.

__1-Star. From everyone...__ Uber's facing hate from Wall Street, regulators, and politicians. So it's also making some friendly non-design moves, like adding allergy-friendly filters to food delivery in case the gluten in that pad thai will ruin your night. It's also helping drivers honestly estimate how much money they'll make because knowing that's kinda important.

_Engineering eye for the app guy_

Makeover

__Silicon Valley needs a win...__ Uber's stock price is down to $30, way below the $45 it IPO'd at (which was already underwhelming). Many of its 2019 tech IPO classmates are also unprofitable and also down:

- __[SmileDirectClub](https://robinhood.com/stocks/sdc)__, __[Lyft](https://robinhood.com/stocks/lyft)__, __[Slack](https://robinhood.com/stocks/work)__ — all dropped since their IPOs
- Even __[Peloton](https://robinhood.com/stocks/pton)__ fell 12% in its 1st 2 days on public markets (listen to our 15-minute IPO-day [interview](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3qVIUsSH2NPNo1cvdUr7HK?si=aJE92rp7TSCRD3106vJx8A) with the COO of Peloton here).
- __WeWork__ and talent agency __Endeavor__ have both postponed/canceled their IPOs.
- Uber's the valedictorian of this class, hoping to lead by example. 


Uber unveils an app merge/facelift at a crucial moment

__You workout?...__ __[Nike](https://robinhood.com/stocks/nke)__ shares hit an all-time high after a cinderella story earnings report with a come-from-behind story: Nike is [beating](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/25/nike-to-hit-all-time-high-after-the-companys-earnings-crushed-it.html) the trade war. A quarter of Nike goods are made in China and a sixth of them are sold there. Even though its biz was tossed in the middle of the trade war, its overall profit surged 25% last quarter. Buckets.

__Amazon pulled an Oprah...__ dishing out new gear at its Apple-ish new product event. The theme was sticking Alexa voice-activation everywhere so that you're always __[Amazon](https://robinhood.com/stocks/amzn)__-connected. Echo Studio ($200 smart speakers), in-car Alexa (with Samuel L. Jackson voice option) via __[General Motors](https://robinhood.com/stocks/GM)__, Echo Buds (AirPods knockoffs), Echo Frames (smart glasses), Echo Loop (smart *ring*). Check out [this](https://slate.com/technology/2019/09/amazon-echo-products-frames-ring-creepiness.html) "ranking by creepiness."

...and who's down

Get Your News

Subscribe and thrive