Grab’s rise from rideshare to superapp in Asia, with Anthony Tan

Masters of Scale

WaitWhat

Entrepreneurship, Business, Management, Reid Hoffman, Mindset, Diversity & Inclusion, Jeff Berman, Bob Safian, Startups

4.6 • 4.4K Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Grab is a rideshare service-turned superapp, not available in the US but rapidly growing in Southeast Asia. It’s even outmaneuvered global players like Uber to reach a valuation north of $20 billion. Grab’s co-founder and CEO Anthony Tan joins Rapid Response to share how the platform has successfully expanded into food delivery and fintech, while also investing in the future of electric vehicles and autonomous driving. For any leader looking to bolster their company culture to meet the moment, Tan shares how his team set in motion an ambitious project to study and creatively implement AI — channeling both the hunger and humility to win in a competitive and chaotic market.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Real leaders don't back down when the stakes are high. They innovate. They push forward,
0:07.5	and then they take the stage at the Masters of Scale Summit.
0:11.6	Join us in San Francisco, October 7th to 9th to hear from the CEO of the New York Times,
0:17.1	scientists using cutting-edge technology to find cures, the leader of crypto powerhouse
0:22.0	Coinbase, a retired four-star general, and many, many more.
0:26.7	Apply now at mastersofscale.com slash apply 25.
0:31.7	That's masters of scale.com slash apply 25.
0:36.9	Your company's data is everywhere in systems, in silos and across teams. But if your
0:42.8	AI can't reach it, then that data isn't working for you. Every business has unique data,
0:48.0	what really makes a difference is how you use it. IBM helps your AI access your data wherever
0:53.4	it lives to change how you do business. Let's create
0:57.5	smarter business, IBM. You can come out as a lion and be proud and be fierce.
1:11.3	You're willing to chew anything in your path.
1:14.1	But at the same time, also sort of have the humility of a lamb.
1:18.5	It's like showing love all the time and caring for your people.
1:23.9	While at the same time holding a really high bar, because you love them, because you want them to do better,
1:30.7	because you believe that customers expect much more from us, and society wants to see many
1:36.4	companies that have triple bottom line fail. So you've got to prove to them that a triple bottom line
1:42.8	company can not only survive but thrive.
1:47.2	That's Anthony Tan, CEO of Grab, the Southeast Asian Rideshare super app that's rapidly growing from Singapore to Vietnam.
1:55.9	As Uber expands globally, I wanted to talk to Anthony about how Grab outmaneuvered Uber in Southeast Asia,
2:03.4	eventually acquiring its operations in the region. I also wanted to know how Grab has unexpectedly
	...

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