Three Things (12/8)

1) DoorDash hiring full-time delivery employees for the first time amid push into the rapid delivery space

• Sixty couriers in New York will make $15 an hour, plus tips, under this pilot program, called DashCorps.
• DashCorps members may not do regular gig deliveries for the company.
• DoorDash is trying to enter the “super-fast” delivery space, bringing customers orders in 15 minutes or less.

Titan’s Takeaway: Like ridesharing and third-party delivery, we believe the biggest gains in the fast-growing rapid delivery space will likely accrue to a few large players over time. DoorDash’s move shows costs associated with this new market may be higher, and we’ll be closely watching for any additional moves into this space from Titan Flagship holding Uber.

2) Jeep owner Stellantis lays out plans to make $22.5 billion annually from software, as EV investment boom continuesv

• The company plans to have 34 million connected cars on the road by 2030.
• Through 2025, Stellantis plans to invest more than $33 billion into software and fleet electrification, in-line with other major OEMs.
• Stellantis said it will use partnerships with BMW, Waymo, and Foxconn to reach this goal.

Titan’s Takeaway: Fleet electrification has been a dominant theme in the auto industry this year, particularly amid efforts by corporations to find cleaner energy solutions. Stellantis’ outlines for software-related sales, however, shows automakers might find something even more attractive in electrification: recurring revenues.

3) Instagram rolls out new safety features for teenagers ahead of executive appearance on Capitol Hill

• New tools will encourage users to take breaks or view new topics if dwelling on one thing for too long.
• Early next year, Instagram also plans to create parental controls to limit how and for how long young users are on the app.
• Adam Mosseri leads Instagram, a unit of Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook.

Titan’s Takeaway: We don’t expect lawmaker interest or regulatory risks will dissipate for Meta anytime soon. Given this overhang, we may see additional product changes emphasizing similar ideas like limiting time on platform and offering users additional control over their platform experience.