After 12 years, my Lyft ride has come to an end. To say this is the end of an era is an understatement - Lyft has changed my entire life, both personally and professionally, and I'll be forever grateful.
I first met Logan Green and John Zimmer in 2010 while representing Ann Miura-Ko and the Floodgate team in Zimride's Series Seed financing. Even then, I knew John & Logan had something special - their singular obsession with changing the way people interacted with transportation and their deep belief that it could be improved. I remember the Board meeting with Raj Kapoor, Dr. Manu Kumar, and Ann in 2012 where we discussed how to implement the Zimride concept on mobile and in real-time. Despite turning down John & Logan when they first asked me to join as General Counsel, I ultimately joined them full-time (it helped that Ann referred to the company as a "rocket ship").
The years that followed are a blur of more "firsts" than I can count - helping Kate Sampson place the first-ever TNC insurance, first TNC regulations by the California Public Utilities Commission, first lawsuits (and then first settlements) - and ultimately, the biggest "first" of them all, the IPO. I'm so lucky to have partnered with Brian Roberts on that particular journey. Through it all, I'm so fortunate to have been supported by Lyft's team members, especially the Legal Eagles (Matthew Reagan, Loni Mahanta, David Le and so many others). While the many amazing team members I've worked with are too numerous to name here, I am so thankful to them, and it was a personal career highlight to see Lindsay Llewellyn replace me as Lyft's CLO.
Speaking of firsts, taking Lyft's first-ever maternity leave, and opening the door for all the moms (and dads!) that came behind me is something I'll always be proud of.
As I moved into more business-focused roles, President of Business Affairs and then President, I had the unique opportunity to help steer Lyft through some of its most difficult days in COVID and beyond. I partnered with incredible teams during that time - big shout-out to Policy, Partners, Marketing, Comms, People, and OCIO. It was a hard run at times, but the toughest days have ultimately been some of the most rewarding, and the Lyft team remained consistently inspiring throughout. But I'm excited and ready to take a little breather - it's been a long time coming. I'll be spending a little more quality time with my friends and family, especially Tom Sverchek who has made this all possible by being the world's best support system.
I'm so excited to see what David Risher and the team accomplish - I know they'll deliver big things. And I'm so grateful to David for his recognition of me through my namesake award - the Kristin Sverchek Lyft Legend annual award. It's hard to imagine a bigger honor. 💗