Last month, Indonesia-based super app Gojek and online marketplace Tokopedia announced a merger to form GoTo Group.

The move would give both companies a boost against their respective rivals: Gojek against fellow super app Grab, and Tokopedia against Shopee, Sea Group’s ecommerce arm. However, potential redundancies in the combined entity have already been spotted, raising questions about the future of its various services.

Photo credit: GoTo Group

On this episode of Deep Dive, Tech in Asia’s Aditya Hadi Pratama discusses the events in the lead-up to the deal, GoTo’s prospective future, and what impact the merger could have on the wider Asian startup ecosystem.

Timecodes:

00:00 – Intro music
00:46 – Today’s topic: Gojek and Tokopedia’s merger
01:26 – Hearing talk of a merger
03:42 – Why the move came as a surprise
04:44 – Aid in the fight against bigger rivals
09:21 – How Gojek might benefit from the merger
11:11 – How Tokopedia might benefit from merger
13:40 – The question of overlapping services
17:13 – How GoTo Group might tackle the issue
20:35 – Road to a public listing
21:18 – Thoughts on the coming battle between public companies
22:45 – GoTo Group: A beast to be feared
24:19 – Setting a precedent for the Asian startup ecosystem

Download the full transcript here.

Featured reporter:

• Aditya Hadi Pratama, a Tech in Asia journalist based in Indonesia

Essential reading:

• Gojek and Tokopedia officially announce merger
• Gojek, Tokopedia’s merged entity GoTo plans pre-IPO fundraise
• Following the GoTo merger, should Grab buy an ecommerce marketplace?
• Overlap in Gojek and Tokopedia services suggests possible redundancy
• GoTo appoints ex-Ernst & Young exec as CFO ahead of its IPO plans
• Visual: How a decade of work led to the GoTo merger
• For more stories on GoTo, click here

Episode sponsor:

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