Leadership Next Lyft CEO David Risher on comebacks, customer obsession and moonlighting as a Lyft driver
Sep 30, 2025
In an engaging conversation, David Risher, CEO of Lyft, shares his unique leadership insights and experiences as a former Amazon and Microsoft executive. He reveals his undercover work as a Lyft driver to better understand customer needs. Risher discusses Lyft's commitment to customer obsession and innovative solutions to enhance driver experiences. Highlighting the company’s financial turnaround, he also touches on the gig economy's future and his ambitious vision for multimodal flying cars, showcasing his blend of pragmatism and creativity.
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Fix Big Problems With Small Iterations
- Break down complex service problems into small design fixes and iterate relentlessly.
- Tackle driver cancellation causes, UI, timing, and information to reduce cancellations from 15% to under 5%.
Side Project: ContraBee Word Game
- Risher built a word‑game app (ContraBee) using Upwork contractors while CEO.
- Hundreds use it daily and he receives grateful notes from players.
Lyft's Comeback Is Service‑Led
- Lyft shifted from losing share to profitable growth by refocusing on service and drivers.
- The comeback included cash generation, rising share, and a new campaign: CheckLift.