This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with David Risher, the 59-year-old CEO of Lyft based in San Francisco. It’s been edited for length and clarity.
After I joined the board of Lyft four years ago, I was asked to apply to be CEO. At first, I said no, but the more I thought about it, the more excited I got.
I wanted to bring the competitive spirit I learned at Microsoft, where I’d started my career and the customer obsession I’d learned from working with Jeff Bezos at Amazon, where I was a VP of product development. I also wanted to bring in the leading with purpose I enjoy at World Reader, a nonprofit I started that gets kids reading worldwide.
Now, 36 years after starting my career, I’m the CEO of Lyft. Here’s a typical day in my life.
I wake up at 7 a.m. every morning
I’m a morning person, but not too early. After I brush my teeth and wash my face, I check my Oura ring to get a report on how well I slept. I aim for seven hours of sleep each night.
I exercise for about fifteen minutes at home every morning, typically stretching.
I’m addicted to coffee, so I always have a cup in the morning. I’m on team Nespresso and am always looking for my perfect capsule.
I then sit down with my phone but don’t check my email first. I read The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post daily.
Sometimes, I’ll play a word game, such as Spelling Bee, to wake up. I then get to email and Slack and make sure nothing has happened overnight that I have to get to right away.
I’m a gut health guy, so I eat yogurt and granola for breakfast. I don’t want to brag, but I make my own granola.
Usually, I’m out the door by 8:30.
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I ride a Lyft bike to the office every day; it takes 21 minutes from my home
Courtesy of Lyft
As I bike to work, I count the number of times I see a Waymo or a Zoox in San Francisco to see how they’re growing. On my way to the office, I pick up a second coffee.
I go into the office four days a week. Three days in the office is the official policy, but I like going to work and bumping into people.
The first meeting of my day is a stand-up meeting, which typically lasts about half an hour, with my chief of staff and my administrative assistant. We map out the day and plan ahead.
I then meet with all of my direct reports for about three hours to discuss any issues facing the company or opportunities.
Some days are more operational, and there are some days when most meetings are product review meetings, where we’re discussing the next version of things like Price Lock, Women+ Connect, or the driver earnings guarantee.
My happy place is at the whiteboard with a team trying to figure out cool new innovations or customer-obsessed ideas. A lot of my job is getting people to say yes to things that might be slightly bolder than they’re thinking.
I typically have lunch in the office
I take a 20-minute lunch. Half the time, I eat alone and work on something, and the other half, I work or meet with staff and other employees. I think it may be terrifying when I sit down at the table and say to our team as the CEO, “Can I join you?”
Every day, I go for a half-hour walk and get an iced matcha. Sometimes, I’ll do a one-on-one with a team member as we walk because getting out of the office makes for a different conversation.
Courtesy of Lyft
Part two of our stand-up meeting is held with my chief of staff around 5:30 p.m. I leave the office around 6:30 p.m. and walk. I’ll take a call or listen to a podcast and bike home the rest of the way.
I have a goal of living to 100, so I walk, bike, get good sleep, have good relationships, and do daily activities. I go to the gym or a dojo twice a week in the evenings and bicycle on the weekends to keep my body active.
About every six weeks, I drive for Lyft
Courtesy of Lyft
I drive to learn about what our riders are going through when they get in the car and why our customers choose us over the other guys. I always love it when they say, “You guys are better; you have a better level of service.” That’s what we aim for, so that’s amazing.
I don’t tell the rider who I am until the end. There was a time I picked up a Lyft employee on her way to work, and she recognized me, but most riders don’t know until I tell them, and they’ll go bananas.
I have two daughters, but they’re both older, and they live in Manhattan
My wife, Jennifer, and I live on the West Coast. Jennifer is an author and a speaker. She travels often, but we have dinner together when we’re both home.
She almost always cooks; I like cooking, but she’s much better than I am. My job is to clean up the kitchen and leave it spotless.
After dinner, we both get on email for another 45 minutes. I try not to send too many emails after hours, but sometimes my ideas excite me.
We like to watch streaming series. We’re finishing up season two of the Diplomat.
We’re also big readers. As my wind-down routine, I read for at least half an hour before going to bed. I just read “Character Limit,” a book about Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, and I’m in the middle of “The Anxious Generation.”
After reading, I try to turn off the lights by about 11 p.m. I’m successful unless my wife and I go out or do something special.
