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# Instacart is exploring a sale and has talked to DoorDash, reports say, while Uber walked away
- URL: https://www.skimwire.com/instacart-explores-sale-doordash-talks-uber/
- Published: 2026-10-24T19:45:29.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T19:45:29.000Z
- Description: Instacart hired a bank and held early talks with DoorDash, The Information reports. Bloomberg says Uber walked away. Shares rose 9.2%.
- Author: Jeremy Moon
- Tags: Business

## The skim

- Instacart has hired an investment bank to explore a sale and has held early acquisition talks with DoorDash, The Information reported Friday.
- Bloomberg reports Instacart also pitched itself to Uber, but Uber walked away and the two are no longer talking.
- Instacart shares jumped 9.2% to $56.44 on the news. A typical takeover premium would value the company at about $16 billion to $17 billion, according to The Information.

## What happened

The grocery delivery company, legally named Maplebear, is weighing a sale and has held preliminary discussions with potential buyers, The Information reported on Oct. 23, citing people familiar with the matter, [according to Reuters](https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/instacart-in-talks-for-sale-the-information-reports-4970302?ref=skimwire.com). The report says talks are ongoing with no guarantee of a deal.

[Bloomberg added](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/antitrust/instacart-rallies-on-report-of-sale-talks-with-uber-doordash?ref=skimwire.com) that Instacart recently shopped itself to Uber, but the ride-hailing giant walked away, according to a person familiar with the matter. Bloomberg describes the talks as early and says they may not lead to a sale. Instacart declined to comment, and Uber and DoorDash didn't immediately respond to Reuters.

Investors liked the idea. Instacart, which had a market value of about $12 billion before the report, closed Friday up 9.2% at $56.44\. Uber fell about 3% and DoorDash about 4%. The Information estimated that a typical 30% to 40% takeover premium would value Instacart at roughly $16 billion to $17 billion.

## Why it matters

Instacart pioneered app-based grocery delivery in the US, but it is now squeezed from several sides. DoorDash and Uber Eats have pushed hard into groceries and convenience items, Amazon is expanding Amazon Now, its 30-minute delivery service, and big retailers keep building their own apps. "Instacart risks getting squeezed between retailers building their own digital channels and larger platforms that can bundle grocery with other services," Emarketer analyst Zak Stambor told Reuters.

A deal would also extend a wave of delivery consolidation. In July, Uber agreed to buy Germany's Delivery Hero for nearly $15 billion, Reuters notes, and DoorDash has spent the past few years buying Wolt and Deliveroo. Combining Instacart with either company would put two of the biggest US delivery platforms under one roof, which is why antitrust review would be the biggest hurdle.

This has been tried before. In 2021, DoorDash held talks to buy Instacart at a valuation of $40 billion to $50 billion, but worries about antitrust approval under the Biden administration ended them, according to The Information's reporting at the time. Instacart went public in 2023 and is now worth a fraction of that figure. Stambor said a deal looks more plausible now because the Trump administration has shown "greater willingness" to approve mergers, even if that "could come at the cost of selling off parts of the business."

## What's next

Nothing is signed, and Uber is reportedly out. For Instacart's shoppers, retailers and customers, nothing changes unless a buyer emerges and regulators approve a deal, which would likely take many months.

*Sources:* [*Reuters*](https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/instacart-in-talks-for-sale-the-information-reports-4970302?ref=skimwire.com)*,* [*Bloomberg*](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/antitrust/instacart-rallies-on-report-of-sale-talks-with-uber-doordash?ref=skimwire.com) *and* [*TechCrunch*](https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/24/instacart-reportedly-discussed-selling-itself-with-doordash-and-uber/?ref=skimwire.com)*.*