Alex Webb, Columnist

Rocket Internet's No-Brainer Is a Missed Opportunity

A plan to go private makes sense, given management’s struggle to find a use for its capital.

June 20, 2019 at 12:37 PM UTC

Alex Webb is a correspondent for Bloomberg Quicktake. He previously covered the technology, telecoms and media industries in London, San Francisco and Munich.

Letting investors down.
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

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Investors in Softbank Group Corp. and Naspers Ltd. should see Rocket Internet SE as a cautionary tale.

Chief Executive Officer Oliver Samwer is evaluating a plan to take the Berlin-based startup incubator and venture capital firm private, according to a report in Germany’s Manager Magazin. For Samwer and his brothers, who are the biggest shareholders, the move is a no-brainer. For investors, it’s a missed opportunity.