In 60 seconds: DoorDash is buying Instacart for about $17 billion. Announced Thursday, the deal won't close until late 2027 at the earliest — and shoppers are already asking what it means for their grocery bill.
- $65 per share, a 26% premium to Instacart's October 22 close.
- Instacart's brand, app and retailer tech stay; the firms run separately until close.
- DashPass and Instacart+ become one membership, saving a claimed $100 million a year.
- Critics say the pair would control nearly 60% of third-party grocery delivery.
- Close is expected in late 2027 or early 2028, after US, Canada and Israel approvals.
If your phone has both apps on it, Thursday's news probably felt like a plot twist. DoorDash owned restaurant delivery; Instacart owned groceries. Now they're joining forces.
An Instacart promotional cart in Miami in 2022. Photo: Paul Sableman / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
What happened
DoorDash announced on Thursday, October 29, a definitive agreement to buy Instacart — legally Maplebear Inc. — for roughly $17 billion at $65 per share, a 26% premium to Instacart's October 22 close, the last trading day before sale reports surfaced. Instacart's board approved unanimously, and holders of about 19% have already agreed to vote yes. Both firms reported third-quarter results that morning, and Instacart cancelled its November 5 earnings call. The deal landed in a rocky market week — the Nasdaq fell 2.9% on Friday as Intel crashed 29%.
Latest verified facts
At least 75% of the price is cash. Shareholders choose: $65 cash, 0.3372 DoorDash shares per Instacart share, or $48.75 plus 0.0843 shares — with stock capped at 25% and oversubscribed elections prorated. Closing needs a shareholder vote, the US Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period, and approvals in Canada and Israel, so DoorDash expects late 2027 or early 2028. Until then the firms operate separately, and DoorDash says it keeps Instacart's brand, app and enterprise tech. The prize is scale: 50,000-plus new stores atop the close to 100,000 already on Instacart, which already serves more than 2,200 retail banners.
Why it matters
DoorDash's pitch is that grocery is one of the hardest categories to get right online, and Instacart spent years learning how. CEO Chris Rogers said pairing grocery tech with DoorDash's reach gives customers "an even better experience." The numbers explain the urgency: DoorDash has held over two-thirds of US food delivery since 2024, per Bloomberg, while Instacart — public since 2023 — had been losing momentum to Uber, Amazon and Walmart. This deal closes the grocery gap in one move.
Impact on the USA and the world
For shoppers, the honest answer is: nothing changes yet, and cheaper delivery is not promised. No general fee or price cut is announced; the $100 million is DoorDash's estimate for combined membership savings. What changes eventually is choice — one membership, one network, tens of thousands more stores. For grocers and gig workers, questions are sharper: thousands of banners now have their ordering tech inside a DoorDash-owned firm, and neither company has detailed post-merger driver or shopper pay. Regulators won't wait: the American Economic Liberties Project urges blocking the deal over that nearly 60% share, and New York City's consumer agency flagged delivery consolidation beforehand. Shoppers are skeptical of big brands generally this week — McDonald's must now face its McRib lawsuit.
What happens next
The next year-plus is a regulatory obstacle course. Watch whether regulators demand concessions or try to block it, what DoorDash does with membership pricing after the merge, and how Walmart, Amazon and Uber answer a rival that just swallowed the grocery specialist.
Our take: your apps stay separate for at least a year, so don't delete anything yet. But the price of that convenience — in fees, choice, and who controls your grocery run — gets decided in the approval process, not on your phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the Instacart app disappear?
No. DoorDash plans to keep the brand and app, with the firms separate until close.
Will grocery delivery get cheaper?
Not promised. The $100 million covers combined membership savings only.
When does the deal close?
Expected late 2027 or early 2028, after shareholder and regulator approvals.