Overview

DiDi (滴滴出行) is a Chinese mobility-technology company and the operator of the country's largest ride-hailing platform. Founded in 2012 by Cheng Wei as Xiaoju Technology (小桔科技), the company began as a taxi-hailing app in Beijing and grew through a series of mergers and acquisitions — most notably the 2015 merger with rival Kuaidi Dache and the 2016 acquisition of Uber's China operations — into the dominant player in China's app-based ride-hailing market. Its consumer app connects passengers with private-car, taxi, premium, pooled and designated-driver services, and the company has expanded into food delivery, bike-sharing, freight, financial services and autonomous-driving research. DiDi's business model is built on a two-sided marketplace: a large base of drivers and vehicles on one side and tens of millions of monthly active riders on the other. Revenue comes primarily from commissions on completed rides in China, supplemented by international ride-hailing, food delivery and other mobility services. The company also operates a payments and financial-services arm and invests in electric-vehicle and autonomous-driving initiatives. Internationally, DiDi has expanded through acquisitions and organic launches into Latin America (Brazil's 99, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica), Australia, New Zealand, Japan and selected markets in Africa and the Middle East. Its international segment has become a meaningful growth driver as China's domestic ride-hailing market matures. DiDi Global Inc. listed on the New York Stock Exchange in June 2021 in one of the largest U.S. IPOs by a Chinese company, but the listing triggered a Chinese regulatory review of data security, and the company delisted from the NYSE in 2022; its shares now trade over-the-counter in the United States. The company remains a private-sector platform brand headquartered in Beijing, subject to Chinese regulatory oversight of ride-hailing and data handling. DiDi is positioned as a mass-market, everyday mobility brand in China and an emerging-market challenger abroad.

History

DiDi was founded in 2012 by Cheng Wei as Xiaoju Technology (小桔科技), launching a taxi-hailing app in Beijing at a time when smartphone adoption in China was accelerating. The early product let riders summon licensed taxis through a mobile app, and the company expanded city by city as it built out driver supply and local operations. In 2015, DiDi merged with its principal rival Kuaidi Dache, consolidating the two largest taxi-hailing platforms in China under the DiDi Kuaidi name. The combined company then faced Uber, which was aggressively expanding in China. In 2016, DiDi acquired Uber's China operations, with Uber taking a stake in DiDi, a deal that effectively ended the ride-hailing price war in China and established DiDi as the dominant platform. After consolidation, DiDi broadened its product line beyond private-car rides into premium services, pooled rides, designated drivers, bike-sharing, and later food delivery and freight. It also built a payments and financial-services business and invested in electric vehicles and autonomous-driving research. Internationally, DiDi expanded through the acquisition of Brazil's 99 and organic launches across Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and selected markets in Africa and the Middle East. In June 2021, DiDi Global Inc. completed an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. Shortly afterward, Chinese regulators announced a cybersecurity review, and the DiDi app was removed from Chinese app stores; the company was subsequently fined and required to make data-security changes. DiDi delisted from the NYSE in 2022, and its shares now trade over-the-counter in the United States. The company continues to operate its ride-hailing, delivery and international businesses under Chinese regulatory oversight.

Cheng Wei founds Xiaoju Technology and launches a taxi-hailing app in Beijing
DiDi merges with rival Kuaidi Dache
DiDi acquires Uber's China operations
DiDi expands internationally and into food delivery and bike-sharing
DiDi Global Inc. lists on the New York Stock Exchange
Chinese regulators launch a cybersecurity review; DiDi app removed from app stores
DiDi delists from the New York Stock Exchange

Products and positioning

Mass-market everyday mobility platform in China; emerging-market ride-hailing and delivery challenger internationally.

DiDi Express (快车)
Mass-market private-car ride-hailing service
DiDi Premier (专车)
Premium ride-hailing service with higher-end vehicles
DiDi Hitch / pooled rides
Shared-ride service matching multiple passengers
Designated driver service
On-demand driver service for car owners
99 (Brazil)
Brazilian ride-hailing platform acquired by DiDi
DiDi Food
Food-delivery service in international markets

Controversies

2021
Didi responds to criticism over driver commissions
Didi issued a statement responding to public criticism that its commissions were too high and its commission rules were not transparent. It said it accepted public criticism and was investigating the causes of extreme orders to try to prevent them.
Source
2020
Didi agrees to compensate passenger for missed-flight losses
Didi and a passenger reached an agreement after she said a driver's route change caused her to miss her flight. Didi accepted responsibility for the full compensation, totaling 2,747 yuan, which was paid within a day; the account described the wrong turn as a mistake rather than intentional detouring.
Source
2020
Didi files lawsuit over sexual-content livestream using its name
Didi said it filed materials with the Beijing Internet Court to pursue legal responsibility against the livestream platform and the livestream producers and performers, alleging that they used claims about Didi drivers to attract viewers and profit, harming Didi’s and its drivers’ reputations.
Source
2020
Didi explains its ride-hailing route-planning principles
Didi's map and transit business head responded to public concerns about ride-hailing detours, explaining the platform's route-planning principles and soliciting public feedback.
Source
2019
DiDi adjusts carpooling service hours after gender-discrimination criticism
After its carpooling service rules drew criticism as gender discrimination, DiDi adjusted the operating hours for all carpooling users during the trial period to 5:00–20:00 and apologized for not seeking public discussion and for inadequate consideration and communication.
Source

Recent events

2026-11-03
Didi and China Disabled Persons' Federation special associations sign accessibility cooperation agreement[7]滴滴与中国残联残疾人专门协会签署无障碍服务战略合作协议finance.sina.com.cn
Reported: 2026-11-03
Didi and the China Disabled Persons' Federation's special associations signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement covering accessible travel services and public-benefit initiatives for people with disabilities. The parties plan to cooperate on differentiated services, driver support, technology innovation and other initiatives.
2021-12-30
DiDi reports second- and third-quarter 2021 results[8]滴滴公布2021年第二、第三季度业绩chinaz.com
DiDi released its 2021 second- and third-quarter results. It reported third-quarter revenue of RMB 42.675 billion and a net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders of RMB 30.6 billion.
2021-12-30
DiDi appoints a new director[8]滴滴公布2021年第二、第三季度业绩chinaz.com
DiDi announced that Alibaba senior legal director and Alibaba Local Life legal counsel Yi Zhang was appointed as a new director, following the resignation of Alibaba Group CEO Daniel Zhang from the board.
2021-07-21
Didi suspends travel services in Zhengzhou[9]滴滴暂停郑州出行服务chinaz.com
Didi suspended travel services in Zhengzhou as part of safety measures amid flooding, and organized a flood-relief vehicle fleet.
2021-06-11
Didi files for U.S. IPO[10]滴滴递交赴美上市申请tmtpost.com
Didi formally filed its IPO prospectus with U.S. securities regulators on June 11 and said it planned to list on Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker DIDI.
2021-05-20
Didi joins national digital assistance initiative for older adults[11]滴滴发起全国智慧助老公益行动finance.sina.com.cn
Reported: 2021-05-27
On May 20, Didi Public Welfare Foundation and named social organizations jointly launched a nationwide initiative to help older adults use smart technology. Didi said it would recruit and train 20,000 older volunteers in 15 cities to help at least 200,000 older adults.
2021-05-07
Didi responds to criticism over driver commissions[2]Didi responds to criticism over driver commissionsfinance.sina.com.cn
Reported: 2021-05-07
Didi issued a statement responding to public criticism that its commissions were too high and its commission rules were not transparent. It said it accepted public criticism and was investigating the causes of extreme orders to try to prevent them.
2021-04-19
DiDi launches the DiDi Twin Stars autonomous-driving hardware platform[12]滴滴发布滴滴双子星自动驾驶硬件平台finance.sina.com.cn
Reported: 2021-04-19
DiDi Autonomous Driving launched the DiDi Twin Stars hardware platform at the Shanghai auto show. The platform is designed with multiple layers of redundancy and can be installed in Volvo XC90 redundant vehicles.
Unconfirmed
Didi launches Didi Gemini autonomous-driving hardware platform[13]滴滴发布“滴滴双子星”自动驾驶硬件平台chinaz.com
Didi Autonomous Driving launched its new Didi Gemini hardware platform at the Shanghai Auto Show, with upgraded sensors, computing performance and other hardware capabilities.
Unconfirmed
BYD D1 launches in China[14]比亚迪D1正式上市auto.cnfol.com
BYD announced the launch of the D1, a ride-hailing vehicle developed with Didi. The subsidized price is RMB 151,800, and sales are currently open only to drivers registered with Didi for ride-hailing operations.

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Overview

History

Products and positioning

Controversies

Recent events

Sources44 sources