Welcome to Axis Pro Rada, where we take just 10 minutes to get you smarter on the collision of tech business and politics.

I'm Danper Mac.

On today's show, how President Trump might have just killed a big IPO and what to look for when Facebook settles with the U.S. government.

But first, Uber gets ready to ride.

This Friday, Uber is expected to go public on the New York Stock Exchange, after raising

around $10 billion in what would be one of the largest IPOs of all time. For the ride

hail companies, early employees and investors, it's going to be life-changing, minting an untold

number of millionaires and maybe even a billionaire or two.

And yeah, there will be some monetary rewards for some of Uber's longest-tenured drivers.

As a company followed Lyft's lead and giving out cash that drivers can either pocket or use to buy stock at the IPO price.

So for those of us who have watched Uber's growth over the past decade, it also is going to be a

referendum on two key issues. First, was Uber overvalued by private market investors? Remember,

this company was at the vanguard of unprofitable tech startups being valued in the tens of

billions of dollars. That was a very new thing before Uber. And this IPO, this Friday, that's where the rubber will meet the road.

Lyft so far has faltered.

But Uber is a much more diversified company.

It operates in a lot more countries, has big stakes in other ride hail companies, and also

has revenue generating businesses like Uber Eats for Food Delivery and Uber Freight.

The second key issue is, well,

morality. Uber's been a lightning rod for years due to an act first, ask permission later

philosophy that ultimately seem to reflect as much about Uber's office culture as its dealings

with regulators. In front of that backdrop is a growing conflict between Uber and its drivers,

...