John Zimmer

@Lyft Co-Founder. Life is better when you share the ride.

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

I’m also excited to build again and will soon launch Yes&, a new company with a continued focus on how business can make positive impact at scale. I’ll share more soon, but for now, as Willy Wonka said, “The suspense is terrible, I hope it will last."

https://t.co/KUkA85hWQ2

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

Today is a meaningful moment for @logangreen and me as we step off the @lyft board and complete the succession process we began 2 years ago. We're incredibly proud and appreciative of @davidrisher, the Lyft team and the broader community. Lyft has a very exciting future ahead👊

[David Risher @davidrisher]

Today I drove for @lyft during morning commute. We're seeing good y/y commute growth as people return to the office... though Friday feels a little different b/c many folks work from home and use the day to take care of personal business.

Each ride was great. I first drove a restaurant worker to his job-- he takes Lyft nearly every weekday. Another was a post dog-walk pickup for someone going to her doctor who chose us thanks to our partnership with @Chase Sapphire. Next was another commuter headed to her job at @OldNavy. Another was a pick-up at an ex-boyfriend's house (he ordered the Lyft-- nice!) Long story on that one-- we had quite a chat about relationships.

But maybe the best was when I pulled up to a rider heading to.... Lyft's HQ! She works in our data science team, focused on driver earnings. "Wait, David!!?" she said as she got in the car-- a complete and very surprising coincidence. We had a very fun drive 😀.

As always, I drive to learn, not to earn, so I know my experience isn't typical. (Gross earnings were about $25/hour, if you're interested.) But once again I was blown away by how enjoyable it can be to understand drivers' experience and get to know our riders better.

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

Thanks @ryanmjohnson, the @culdesac vision of cities built for people not cars is the perfect compliment to Lyft's mission, even if it's not perfectly obvious yet :) 👊

[Ryan Johnson @ryanmjohnson]

Congrats to @johnzimmer on wrapping up this chapter at Lyft

You are a pioneer of ridesharing, and Lyft has enabled so many to move away from private car ownership, myself included

Culdesac wouldn't be possible without your work, and it is so great to have you as a board member

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

@eladgil 🐞 🐞 🐞

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

@trini87 Your story made made day! Go Knicks 👊

[Darnell 🇹🇹 @trini87]

@inaribriana She was a Lyft passenger. Picked her and her best friend up from a Vikings vs Eagles game. Her drunk friend goes “my sister here is single”. I laughed it off and she was embarrassed but we connected. Now I can’t imagine my life without her. We get married in June.

[Scott Voigt @voigtscott]

Just met a Lyft driver who told me he’s getting married in 6 weeks to the second person he ever gave a ride to on Lyft, which was 4 years ago. It also happened to be her first Lyft ride ever. Now that’s a love story. @lyft

[Lyft @lyft]

Our new CEO, David Risher (@davidrisherWR), jumped into the driver's seat for the first time last night 🚗

[Black Boy Fly @CaviarCaine]

Lyft driver was playing my music when I got in the car 🤦🏾‍♂️🔥🤣 that’s crazy af. He didn’t believe it was me until I showed him my IG and the rough version of the record.

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

@Lamont55524016 @lyft 👊👊👊

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

To Logan, none of this would be possible without your strong and steady leadership, and your beautiful mind for innovation. The relationship we’ve built together over the last 16 years is very rare, and I don’t take it for granted. The trust, the support and the pushes were everything I needed. When I was down, you rose up. Our friendship has been one of the best parts of the journey and is a perfect demonstration of how two different people with very different skills and approaches are stronger together than apart.

To our current and former team members, thank you for proving that a passionate and dedicated group of people can overcome any challenge. We started with a crazy idea that we would put pink mustaches on regular people’s cars and create a community movement. We were met with disbelief and doubt. But thanks to all of you, we did it.

To David and our leadership team: One of my favorite childhood books is The Lorax. At the end of the book, the main character is thrown a seed with an inspiring call to build a better future. That’s what I think of today, as we pass this responsibility to you. We believe in you and what you will do to advance Lyft’s business and mission. So… catch! 🌱

👊
John

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

15 years ago, I carpooled across America so @logangreen and I could build @lyft together. We started with a crazy idea that we would put pink mustaches on regular people’s cars and create a community movement. And it worked! Billions of rides and meaningful connections later, we're ready for the next chapter 👊

Here's my letter to our team:

Team,

Logan said so much of what I feel. Nearly 15 years ago, I used our first product, Zimride, to ride across America so Logan and I could work alongside each other in that tiny office. We set out to turn our shared passion into something that mattered — a business built on a real-world social movement, one with such massive opportunity that it could reshape how we live for decades to come.

Today, I can reflect on what we’ve created, and feel proud that Lyft is doing just that.

Every all-hands at Lyft ends with “The Y,” where I share the story of a meaningful connection sparked by Lyft. This has been a tradition since our first month with a few hundred rides, and one we’ve upheld as we saw rides and connections climb into the billions. I keep one of those stories printed on my desk to always remind me why we built this:

“Hello, About two weeks ago my best friend got a Lyft in San Francisco. She was very depressed and not in the best state of mind. Her driver gave her a hand made paper heart with a poem written on it in celebration of Valentine's Day. She said something along the lines of spreading love and positivity. At that point my friend broke down crying and confided in the driver that she was thinking about taking her own life. She spent an hour driving with my friend listening and talking. Whoever this driver is could very well have saved my best friend's life. I live in Ohio and can't always be there, so when this stranger turned off her Lyft and was just there for a random girl that got in her car, she temporarily took my place of best friend. I don't know who this driver is, but hopefully there is a way she could be told how much I am thankful for what she did. The girl that got into her car that day means the world to me and I can not express how appreciative I am of this driver's beautiful heart.”

In recent years, as pandemic isolation and political polarization have exposed cracks in our greater sense of community, our mission to bring people together has become even more important. Every day, millions of people connect in Lyft rides, helping demonstrate that people from all backgrounds, neighborhoods and walks of life can come together — even just for a short trip. This happens when a rider who had a tough day is comforted by their driver’s kind words. It happens when a driver and rider with opposing political views meet on common ground. And it happens when someone gets a safe ride home, a ride to the doctor or a ride to a job interview.

I’ve deeply loved my interactions with the driver community who make so much of this possible, from the early days of personally interviewing every driver, to ringing in each New Year by joining them on the road for 11 years straight – thank you to everyone who’s put their heart into giving a ride.

On the back of my first business cards, I wrote the following words and believe them now more than ever: "With your help, we’ll continue to empower a movement that demonstrates how community can solve one of the greatest challenges of our time."

My Y
This all started with that Zimride I took across the country in 2008 with my then-girlfriend and now wife. I’m grateful for her partnership throughout, and for the incredible family we’ve built together. To Cristina, my kids, my parents, sister, and close friends — thank you for hanging with me through everything including the hardest parts of my mental health journey. (1/2)

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

@lyft @Ravens Full episode on @Crackle_TV:

https://t.co/2benXR48A8

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

I loved recently meeting @Lyft driver (and @Ravens cheerleader) Ray Cook on his journey to financial freedom and flexibility!

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

Before our bikes hit the streets, they’re frozen, boiled, banged up, and pushed to their limits in @Lyft’s Mobility Lab. We build them tough to hold up for years and get millions of riders where they need to go.

[Rev by Lyft @RevByLyft]

Smash it. Freeze it. Spin it. Twist it. Burn It.

Here are all the things Lyft does to its bikeshare bikes to ensure they're ready to hit the streets:

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

I love seeing the @Culdesac community coming to life in Tempe. If this is what cities built around people instead of cars looks like, I’m fully on board.

(Full disclosure: I am literally on the board.)

[Culdesac @culdesac]

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

New @lyft bike and scooter docks are rolling out! They’re tough, timeless, and modular. We replaced LEDs displays with more durable and energy-efficient analog flip-dots.

Also working to add charging, which means more charged ebikes, fewer battery swaps, and reduced emissions.

[Rev by Lyft @RevByLyft]

You might not think much about docking stations, but that’s about to change.

Meet Pillar, Lyft's new bike and scooter dock coming to a street near you. Here’s a sneak peek at how Lyft is giving this humble piece of infrastructure a technological makeover:

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

We’ve been on the road in Las Vegas with @motionaldrive's autonomous, all-electric vehicles for six months!

[Motional @motionaldrive]

It's been six months since we launched our new service in Las Vegas using our all-electric IONIQ 5 AVs! We love getting to introduce passengers to their first autonomous ride. Check out these reactions from some of our @lyft riders.

[John Zimmer @johnzimmer]

We’ve loved scaling up LyftNav, built specifically for Lyft drivers — with efficient routes, precise positioning, and fewer distractions – so drivers can maximize their earnings. It also makes the network more convenient for riders.

https://t.co/kKeS2aiXB2