cNew York, Jan 23, 2026, 11:33 ET — Regular session
- Uber shares edged up in late morning trading after a U.S. judge rejected a bid to halt New York City’s new delivery-app tipping regulations.
- Tesla’s decision to launch robotaxi rides in Austin without safety monitors has kept investors fixated on the potential shake-up in autonomous vehicles.
- Traders are eyeing Uber’s Feb. 4 earnings, searching for clues on delivery margins and the firm’s outlook on autonomy.
Shares of Uber Technologies ticked up 0.2% to $82.75 on Friday, holding firm despite a legal blow in New York City and renewed chatter about driverless rivals.
The stock has swung back and forth this week, with investors torn between two persistent concerns: the extent of regulation the company faces in major cities and the pace at which autonomous vehicles will reshape the ride-hailing landscape. Earnings are near enough to be significant but still far from decisive.
Tesla stirred things up on Thursday. CEO Elon Musk announced the company had launched robotaxi rides in Austin without safety monitors inside the vehicle—a move that usually unsettles public ride-hailing firms, even if the immediate effects remain unclear. 1
Uber and DoorDash failed to secure a court injunction against New York City’s rules mandating delivery apps to offer a tipping option at checkout, including a suggested minimum tip of 10%. U.S. District Judge George Daniels in Manhattan ruled the companies hadn’t demonstrated a strong chance of winning their argument that the laws infringe on their constitutional free speech rights. 2
DoorDash shares climbed around 1% in late morning trading, whereas Lyft dipped about 0.5%. Tesla’s stock barely moved.
Bernstein’s Nikhil Devnani stuck with an Outperform rating on Uber, noting the stock trades around 15 times EBITDA — a level he dubbed “peak AV fear.” He flagged that management must tackle the autonomous-vehicle story to boost the valuation. Devnani projects 30% adjusted EBITDA growth for the year. 3
Uber slipped 2.0% on Thursday, ending the day at $82.56 despite gains across the broader market. The stock remains roughly 19% shy of its 52-week peak. Trading volume outpaced its 50-day average, according to MarketWatch data. 4
Late Thursday, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli dropped a new shareholder proposal on Uber. He’s calling for the company to issue a report detailing how it handles reports of sexual harassment and assault against riders. “For Uber to succeed, its users need to feel safe and not have a shred of doubt about using the service,” DiNapoli said. 5
The proposal taps into growing calls for tighter safety and oversight on the platform. It comes amid ongoing lawsuits over alleged rider assaults—risks investors typically see as reputational and legal challenges, not something that will shift earnings in a single quarter.
Two clear risks stand out. Should New York’s tipping regulations stick and catch on elsewhere, delivery platforms might face an onslaught of local rules altering checkout designs and fee structures. On the other hand, if autonomous vehicle fleets grow quicker than anticipated, investors could continue to price ride-hailing stocks lower, betting on fewer drivers and tighter margins.
Uber will release its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings on Feb. 4, followed by a conference call at 8:00 a.m. ET. Investors are keen to hear about delivery profitability, any fallout from New York’s ongoing legal battle, and how management addresses—or sidesteps—autonomy in light of Tesla’s recent developments. 6
