---
title: "German Media Giant Axel Springer Invests in Uber"
description: "The investment was a purely financial decision, according to a report."
date: "2017-04-19"
modified: "2017-04-19"
authors:
  - name: "Aaron Brown"
    job_title: "Staff Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/aaron-brown"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/tech/9484/german-media-giant-axel-springer-buys-into-uber"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "axel springer"
  - "investments"
  - "Media"
  - "Uber"
---

# German Media Giant Axel Springer Invests in Uber

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/04/gettyimages-529628468.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Uber has a new, less conventional investor from the media world.

Axel Springer, the Germany-based media company that owns Business Insider and *Bild*, has bought into ride-sharing tech giant Uber, [according to TechCrunch.](<https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/19/media-company-axel-springer-takes-a-stake-in-uber/>) It's unclear how much the company invested in Uber, but it was apparently done for financial reasons, and with no other intent, [according to t3n.de](<https://t3n.de/news/springer-investiert-uber-815393/>). It's unclear when exactly the investment was made.

“Uber is committed to providing reliable and accessible transportation that improves European cities by cutting congestion, pollution and parking,” an Uber spokesperson said, [according to The Verge](<https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/19/15360180/uber-axel-springer-stake-investment>). “The investment by renowned digital publisher, Axel Springer, is another example of a leading German company that shares this same vision.”

Axel Springer has previously invested in tech firms. In 2012, the media company used a similarly-sized investment to buy into AirBnB. According to [*The Wall Street Journal*](<https://www.marketwatch.com/story/germanys-axel-springer-buys-stake-in-uber-2017-04-19>), Axel Springer has made investments in 100 different companies.

## Author
Aaron was previously a contributing writer with Jalopnik and has also written for Business Insider covering cars. When he's not in the office writing the news, you'll probably find him thrashing a beater car around a RallyCross.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/aaronmaxb>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/aaronmaxb>)