The author forgot to mention that Uber hasn't just left South-East Asia. It was officially acquired by Grab and got 27.5% stake in Grab in exchange[0]
Before leaving the market, Uber had a really intensive price war with Grab (for a few months I was getting SG$5 discounts for 5 rides a week by each company).
While one might argue that they could have stayed longer and expand their application into a super-app (like Gojek, ICBC or Wechat), it seems they preferred to instead invest in a local company that knows that market better. I think it's still too early to say whether it was a good decision, and definitely too early to say whether it was a mistake.
Before leaving the market, Uber had a really intensive price war with Grab (for a few months I was getting SG$5 discounts for 5 rides a week by each company).
While one might argue that they could have stayed longer and expand their application into a super-app (like Gojek, ICBC or Wechat), it seems they preferred to instead invest in a local company that knows that market better. I think it's still too early to say whether it was a good decision, and definitely too early to say whether it was a mistake.
[0] https://thenextweb.com/asia/2018/03/26/ubers-southeast-asia-...