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Nov 29, 2018 · 18m · how-i-built-this

Lyft's John Zimmer At The HIBT Summit

John Zimmer · 8m spoken Guy Raz · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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In this live summit episode of How I Built This, host Guy Raz interviews Lyft co-founder John Zimmer about surviving the high-stakes rivalry with Uber, scaling a nationwide ridesharing network, and building a future where shared multimodal transit replaces private car ownership.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Guy holds 45% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Guy as informed peer 2.0 Guest teaching 1.5 Guest disagreement 1.0 Guy pushing back 1.8
05100:0010:001:11–6:13 · Guy as informed peer 2/10 The Founding Vision and Simplicity of Lyft Guy prompts Zimmer on the founding idea and the emerging rivalry with Uber. Zimmer provides context on car utilization statistics and explains their underdog mindset in the early days.6:14–9:15 · Guy as informed peer 2/10 Founder Dynamics and the Value of Competition Guy presses Zimmer on whether he felt schadenfreude when Uber faced public crises and leadership departures. Zimmer pushes back on gloating, emphasizing Lyft's internal discipline and focus on its own mission.9:15–11:44 · Guy as informed peer 3/10 Transportation as a Service and Autonomous Futures Guy connects Lyft's trajectory to Jen Hyman's approach with Rent the Runway, questioning how much of the multimodal future was planned early on. Zimmer outlines Lyft's transition toward transportation as a service.11:45–14:33 · Guy as informed peer 3/10 Strategic Growth and Nationwide Geographic Scaling Guy challenges Zimmer regarding the unintended negative consequences of ridesharing, specifically increased traffic and congestion in cities. Zimmer concedes the issue and advocates for congestion pricing and public transit investment.14:33–17:08 · Guy as informed peer 2/10 Entrepreneurial Advice and Prioritizing the 'Why' Guy asks Zimmer for advice for budding entrepreneurs and queries the future of driving. Zimmer notes the rapid pace of change and predicts manual driving will eventually be relegated to novelty spaces.17:10–18:23 · Guy as informed peer 0/10 Summit Outro and Upcoming Episodes Announcement Outro wrap-up by the host thanking the summit audience, detailing upcoming episodes, and transitioning to a promotional clip.1:11–6:13 · Guest teaching 2/10 The Founding Vision and Simplicity of Lyft Guy prompts Zimmer on the founding idea and the emerging rivalry with Uber. Zimmer provides context on car utilization statistics and explains their underdog mindset in the early days.6:14–9:15 · Guest teaching 2/10 Founder Dynamics and the Value of Competition Guy presses Zimmer on whether he felt schadenfreude when Uber faced public crises and leadership departures. Zimmer pushes back on gloating, emphasizing Lyft's internal discipline and focus on its own mission.9:15–11:44 · Guest teaching 2/10 Transportation as a Service and Autonomous Futures Guy connects Lyft's trajectory to Jen Hyman's approach with Rent the Runway, questioning how much of the multimodal future was planned early on. Zimmer outlines Lyft's transition toward transportation as a service.11:45–14:33 · Guest teaching 2/10 Strategic Growth and Nationwide Geographic Scaling Guy challenges Zimmer regarding the unintended negative consequences of ridesharing, specifically increased traffic and congestion in cities. Zimmer concedes the issue and advocates for congestion pricing and public transit investment.14:33–17:08 · Guest teaching 1/10 Entrepreneurial Advice and Prioritizing the 'Why' Guy asks Zimmer for advice for budding entrepreneurs and queries the future of driving. Zimmer notes the rapid pace of change and predicts manual driving will eventually be relegated to novelty spaces.17:10–18:23 · Guest teaching 0/10 Summit Outro and Upcoming Episodes Announcement Outro wrap-up by the host thanking the summit audience, detailing upcoming episodes, and transitioning to a promotional clip.1:11–6:13 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Founding Vision and Simplicity of Lyft Guy prompts Zimmer on the founding idea and the emerging rivalry with Uber. Zimmer provides context on car utilization statistics and explains their underdog mindset in the early days.6:14–9:15 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Founder Dynamics and the Value of Competition Guy presses Zimmer on whether he felt schadenfreude when Uber faced public crises and leadership departures. Zimmer pushes back on gloating, emphasizing Lyft's internal discipline and focus on its own mission.9:15–11:44 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Transportation as a Service and Autonomous Futures Guy connects Lyft's trajectory to Jen Hyman's approach with Rent the Runway, questioning how much of the multimodal future was planned early on. Zimmer outlines Lyft's transition toward transportation as a service.11:45–14:33 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Strategic Growth and Nationwide Geographic Scaling Guy challenges Zimmer regarding the unintended negative consequences of ridesharing, specifically increased traffic and congestion in cities. Zimmer concedes the issue and advocates for congestion pricing and public transit investment.14:33–17:08 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Entrepreneurial Advice and Prioritizing the 'Why' Guy asks Zimmer for advice for budding entrepreneurs and queries the future of driving. Zimmer notes the rapid pace of change and predicts manual driving will eventually be relegated to novelty spaces.17:10–18:23 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Summit Outro and Upcoming Episodes Announcement Outro wrap-up by the host thanking the summit audience, detailing upcoming episodes, and transitioning to a promotional clip.1:11–6:13 · Guy pushing back 2/10 The Founding Vision and Simplicity of Lyft Guy prompts Zimmer on the founding idea and the emerging rivalry with Uber. Zimmer provides context on car utilization statistics and explains their underdog mindset in the early days.6:14–9:15 · Guy pushing back 3/10 Founder Dynamics and the Value of Competition Guy presses Zimmer on whether he felt schadenfreude when Uber faced public crises and leadership departures. Zimmer pushes back on gloating, emphasizing Lyft's internal discipline and focus on its own mission.9:15–11:44 · Guy pushing back 1/10 Transportation as a Service and Autonomous Futures Guy connects Lyft's trajectory to Jen Hyman's approach with Rent the Runway, questioning how much of the multimodal future was planned early on. Zimmer outlines Lyft's transition toward transportation as a service.11:45–14:33 · Guy pushing back 4/10 Strategic Growth and Nationwide Geographic Scaling Guy challenges Zimmer regarding the unintended negative consequences of ridesharing, specifically increased traffic and congestion in cities. Zimmer concedes the issue and advocates for congestion pricing and public transit investment.14:33–17:08 · Guy pushing back 1/10 Entrepreneurial Advice and Prioritizing the 'Why' Guy asks Zimmer for advice for budding entrepreneurs and queries the future of driving. Zimmer notes the rapid pace of change and predicts manual driving will eventually be relegated to novelty spaces.17:10–18:23 · Guy pushing back 0/10 Summit Outro and Upcoming Episodes Announcement Outro wrap-up by the host thanking the summit audience, detailing upcoming episodes, and transitioning to a promotional clip.

speaking balance: gold is Guy, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Guy 62.3% · guest 37.7%0:00 · Guy 62.3% · guest 37.7%3:00 · Guy 39.9% · guest 60.1%3:00 · Guy 39.9% · guest 60.1%6:00 · Guy 38.5% · guest 61.5%6:00 · Guy 38.5% · guest 61.5%9:00 · Guy 44.4% · guest 55.6%9:00 · Guy 44.4% · guest 55.6%12:00 · Guy 43.9% · guest 56.1%12:00 · Guy 43.9% · guest 56.1%15:00 · Guy 45.5% · guest 54.5%15:00 · Guy 45.5% · guest 54.5%18:00 · Guy 0% · guest 100%18:00 · Guy 0% · guest 100%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 8:30 Zimmer rejects schadenfreude framing

Zimmer deflects Guy's leading question regarding potential pleasure at Uber's executive turmoil, asserting that celebrating a competitor's pain was explicitly banned internally.

 Hardest push from Guy ▶ 12:49 Guy pushes on traffic congestion externalities

Guy counters Lyft's environmental messaging by confronting Zimmer with data showing rideshare services increase urban and airport traffic.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 1:43 Zimmer explains 96% car idle rate

Zimmer breaks down the foundational math of car ownership and idle time in the US to reframe ridesharing as an efficiency and community problem.

 Guy holds their own ▶ 10:18 Guy draws parallel to Rent the Runway's strategic roadmap

Guy showcases interview expertise by synthesizing insights from another founder to question Zimmer's early strategic horizon.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicGuy as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementGuy pushing backWhy
The Founding Vision and Simplicity of Lyft 2212 Guy prompts Zimmer on the founding idea and the emerging rivalry with Uber. Zimmer provides context on car utilization statistics and explains their underdog mindset in the early days.
Founder Dynamics and the Value of Competition 2223 Guy presses Zimmer on whether he felt schadenfreude when Uber faced public crises and leadership departures. Zimmer pushes back on gloating, emphasizing Lyft's internal discipline and focus on its own mission.
Transportation as a Service and Autonomous Futures 3211 Guy connects Lyft's trajectory to Jen Hyman's approach with Rent the Runway, questioning how much of the multimodal future was planned early on. Zimmer outlines Lyft's transition toward transportation as a service.
Strategic Growth and Nationwide Geographic Scaling 3214 Guy challenges Zimmer regarding the unintended negative consequences of ridesharing, specifically increased traffic and congestion in cities. Zimmer concedes the issue and advocates for congestion pricing and public transit investment.
Entrepreneurial Advice and Prioritizing the 'Why' 2111 Guy asks Zimmer for advice for budding entrepreneurs and queries the future of driving. Zimmer notes the rapid pace of change and predicts manual driving will eventually be relegated to novelty spaces.
Summit Outro and Upcoming Episodes Announcement 0000 Outro wrap-up by the host thanking the summit audience, detailing upcoming episodes, and transitioning to a promotional clip.

Statements from this episode (9)

Assertion Supported
Zimmer: Lyft delivers over 50 million rides every month
“So, every month we do over fifty million rides.”
John Zimmer Nov 29, 2018 ▶ 1:28
Assertion Supported
Zimmer: US vehicles sit parked 96% of the time
“There are, ah, two hundred and fifty million vehicles in the United States, I believe, and they're used, each car is used four percent of the time. 96% of the time it's parked.”
John Zimmer Nov 29, 2018 ▶ 1:50
Assertion Supported
Zimmer: Lyft had $100M and months of runway when Uber raised $3B
“We woke up one day, it was about four or five years ago, and Uber has raised three billion dollars, and we had a hundred million dollars left in the bank, which is a lot of money, but only a few more months left, and now you have this Crazy competitor who want…”
John Zimmer Nov 29, 2018 ▶ 4:51
Assertion Supported
Zimmer: Lyft Introduced Driver Tipping and Weekly Rental Programs
“You know, we started tipping for drivers. We started rental cars that are completely flexible on a weekly basis for drivers.”
John Zimmer Nov 29, 2018 ▶ 7:49
Disclosure
Zimmer: Lyft instructed employees not to gloat during Uber's crisis
“We told our team, this is not a time to gloat, and we mean that, and we meant that.”
John Zimmer Nov 29, 2018 ▶ 8:59
Disclosure
Zimmer proposes $500 monthly Lyft subscriptions to replace personal car ownership
“We want to offer you transportation as a service. Instead of spending 9000 dollars a year to own and operate your vehicle, we want to sell you, maybe it's a 500 dollars a month subscription plan. Similar to how you buy minutes, you'll buy a thousand miles. And…”
John Zimmer Nov 29, 2018 ▶ 9:45
Disclosure
Zimmer: Lyft prioritized US coverage over food delivery and global expansion
“We've chosen to be careful about international launches. We've chosen not to go into food delivery, but we did think having coverage in the United States for every American is a critical factor.”
John Zimmer Nov 29, 2018 ▶ 12:19
Opinion
John Zimmer: Congestion Pricing Is the Best Solution to Traffic Congestion
“Congestion pricing is the best solution. Getting more investment in public transportation is another solution, and those two things can be directly tied together.”
John Zimmer Nov 29, 2018 ▶ 13:38
Prediction Open · timeframe Nov 2038
Zimmer: People will not drive cars in major cities in 20 years
“In major urban environments, I do not think so. I think maybe we'll go to amusement parks to do that.”
John Zimmer Nov 29, 2018 ▶ 16:56
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