Lyft's CEO still drives every six weeks

David Risher oversees 1 million Lyft drivers but regularly gets behind the wheel himself to understand the service's real impact on people's lives.

“The most surprising thing is we are a really important part of a lot of people's lives.”

A ride can make or break someone's day

Risher picked up a passenger who said arriving at work by 10 a.m. was non-negotiable for keeping his job. Public transit was too unreliable, so Lyft was his only option.

“If I get there at 10:01, I'm fired. I got to get there by 10 o'clock.”

Risher took over a struggling company

Risher became CEO in 2023 when Lyft was losing ground to Uber and unprofitable. In three years, Lyft's stock has risen about 50%.

Driving revealed customer frustration with pricing

A Sausalito rider told Risher she'd drive herself rather than pay surge prices. That conversation led Lyft to implement a price lock feature on the app.

From newspaper delivery to rideshare CEO

Risher's first job was delivering the Washington Post. He later worked at Microsoft and Amazon under Jeff Bezos, who taught him to build for things that never change.

“Bet on the things that never change, and build products for things that never change.”

Lyft expands to younger riders

Lyft launched Lyft Teen this year, allowing 13 to 17 year olds to hail rides independently. Uber and Waymo have launched similar features for teens.