优步是如何在半年内亏损12亿美元的

 　　Uber has upended the transportation industry in the span of a few years. But the ride-hailing company has been losing a lot of money while doing so.

　　优步(Uber)在短短几年内颠覆了运输业。但这样做的同时，这家召车公司一直在大把地亏钱。

　　Uber recorded losses of roughly $1.2 billion in the first half of 2016, according to a person briefed on the company’s financial data, who spoke¹ on the condition of anonymity². More than half of those losses, or around $750 million, accrued³ in the second quarter of this year, said the person.

　　一位了解公司财务状况的人士称，2016年上半年，优步录得亏损约12亿美元。这位要求匿名的人士说，超过一半的钱，即7.5亿美元左右，是在今年第二季度亏掉的。

　　An Uber spokesman declined to comment. Bloomberg previously⁴ reported on Uber’s financial information.

　　优步发言人拒绝置评。彭博社(Bloomberg)早前报道过优步的财务信息。

　　The numbers underscore the difficulties that Uber and companies of its ilk face when trying to build and expand globally.

　　这些数字突显了优步以及类似的公司竭力发展壮大并进行全球性扩张之际面临的困难。

　　As Uber has opened operations in numerous cities around the world, it has needed to spend to recruit drivers, to market its service and to take on regulators and established taxi companies. The company has also paid for driver and rider incentives⁵ in the form of subsidies⁶.

　　在全球多个城市开展业务的同时，优步需要投入资金招募司机，推广自己的服务，应付监管机构以及传统出租车公司。另外，公司一直在以提供补贴的方式激励司机和乘客。

　　As a result, Uber has been on a fund-raising tear. The company, valued at more than $62 billion by investors⁷, has been raising billions of dollars every few months. In June, the company garnered⁸ $3.5 billion from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, one of the single largest investments ever in a private technology company.

　　因此，优步一直在大举融资。这家公司被投资者给出了超过620亿美元的估值，每隔几个月就要募集数以十亿美元计的资金。今年6月，优步从沙特阿拉伯的公共投资基金(Public Investment Fund)募得了35亿美元，这是私营科技企业迄今获得的单笔最大投资。

　　Much of Uber’s heavy losses in the first half of the year were attributed to the company paying subsidies to attract riders and drivers, especially in China, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

　　两名知情者称，优步今年上半年之所以严重亏损，很大一部分原因是为了吸引乘客和司机而发放补贴，尤其是在中国。

　　Uber spent the last two years fighting a war in China against Didi Chuxing, the incumbent⁹ ride-hailing giant in the country. Both companies spent billions of dollars subsidizing rides in the race to gain market share, said these people, a practice that could not be sustained in the long run.

　　过去两年里，优步在中国陷入了与本土召车巨头滴滴出行的鏖战。两人称，为了赢得市场份额，两家公司都发放了数十亿美元的出行补贴，从长期来看这是一种不可持续的做法。

　　That spending came to an end earlier this month, when Uber agreed to sell its subsidiary company, Uber China, to Didi. Didi also agreed to invest $1 billion into Uber Global. The deal curtails¹⁰ Uber’s biggest cash drain over the coming quarter, according to the person briefed on the company’s finances.

　　本月早些时候，优步同意将其子公司优步中国(Uber China)出售给滴滴。至此，这方面的投入才算告一段落。了解优步财务状况的人士称，这笔交易削减了公司下一季度最大的一笔现金消耗。

　　Still, Uber will continue spending elsewhere. The San Francisco-based company has stated publicly that it is willing to spend to fight competition in some of its most advanced markets, like the United States, where it is battling its rival Lyft.

　　不过，优步会继续四处撒钱。这家总部位于旧金山的公司公开表示，为了在某些最高端的市场跟竞争对手死磕，它是不吝于投入的——例如美国市场，它正在那里与竞争对手Lyft抗衡。

　　There are some bright spots in Uber’s financials. The company posted significant revenue growth in the second quarter of this year, this person said, including a 31 percent jump to more than $5 billion in second-quarter bookings, a method of accounting¹¹ that includes the money paid out to Uber drivers.

　　优步的财务状况也有一些亮点。该人士称，今年第二季度，该公司的营收大幅增长，其中，二季度订单收入增长31%，超过了50亿美元——这个核算方法是把付给优步司机的钱也计算在内的。

　　Net revenue, the amount Uber pulls in after paying out commissions to drivers, was roughly $960 million in the first quarter, before jumping to $1.1 billion in the second quarter, the person said.

　　该人士称，刨除支付给司机的佣金，优步第一季度的净营收约为9.6亿美元，第二季度则跃升至11亿美元。

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

3 accrued   

adj.权责已发生的v.增加( accrue的过去式和过去分词 )；（通过自然增长）产生；获得；（使钱款、债务）积累

参考例句：

• The company had accrued debts of over 1000 yuan. 该公司已积欠了1000多万元的债务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I have accrued a set of commemoration stamps. 我已收集一套纪念邮票。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

8 garnered   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert. 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals. 他的提议得到了广泛的支持。 来自辞典例句

9 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

10 curtails   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The obsequious brush curtails truth deference to the canvas which is narrow. 谄媚的画笔依从狭窄的画布把真理打了折扣。 来自互联网
• The obsequious brush curtails truth in deference to the canvas which is narrow. 阿谀的画笔顺从目光短浅的画布，真理因而被削弱。 来自互联网

11 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。