I don't know the financials, but I wonder if this is all good business sense in the end.

And of course Apple is doing this in part to mess with Uber. Apple has already signaled it’s getting into the self-driving car game along with Google and Tesla. Unlike Tencent and Alibaba, Apple is a potential Uber competitor in and of itself. It has the same incentive Didi does in making sure Uber doesn’t get too dominant in the meantime. And Google-- while it’s sparred with Uber-- is also an investor in Uber. So this is as much about Apple versus Google as it is Didi versus Uber and Lyft versus Uber.

This all sounds more like petty rivalries more than sound business sense. From the other article on Uber vs. Apple uploaded today on Hubski, Didi is losing billions battling Uber.

From the other article:

Though Didi Chuxing is valued at upwards of $20 billion, according to a person familiar with its ongoing funding round, the company has been losing billions in a costly battle with Uber for market share in China.

Recently, I was watching a really old video where Steve Jobs was introducing Bill Gates in his presentation because Bill Gates had just invested in Apple to help get them out of bankruptcy. The Apple crowd soundly booed him. Jobs noted that the culture at Apple was so competitive that their hatred didn't allow them to see how alliances could help them.

I don't know anything about this deal or any of Apple's financial decisions, but from these two articles, I'm not seeing much in the way of strategy, only petty rivalries.