# Lyft: John Zimmer (2017)

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2018-06-25
- Length: 40m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-06-25-lyft-john-zimmer-2017

## Summary

John Zimmer, co-founder of Lyft, explains how he and co-founder Logan Green pivoted from Zimride, a long-distance carpooling service, to Lyft, an on-demand ride-hailing app, by leveraging smartphone technology to solve the 'chicken and egg' problem of marketplace liquidity. Zimmer details the intense regulatory battles in California, where they faced cease-and-desist orders and had to proactively engage with the Public Utilities Commission to establish a new legal category for ride-sharing. He also discusses the strategic decision to sell Zimride to Enterprise Rent-A-Car to focus entirely on Lyft, and their competitive differentiation against Uber through driver treatment and reliability. The episode concludes with an update on Kyle Ewing, who pivoted from selling waterproof passports to founding Terraslate, a company producing durable, waterproof paper for industrial and commercial clients.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-06-25-lyft-john-zimmer-2017#t=0) Introduction: U.S. Bank and Show Housekeeping
- [1:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-06-25-lyft-john-zimmer-2017#t=85) Early Marketing: The Beaver Costume and Cornell Campus
- [3:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-06-25-lyft-john-zimmer-2017#t=234) Origin Story: Green Cities Course and Lehman Brothers
- [7:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-06-25-lyft-john-zimmer-2017#t=441) Zimride: Connecting Long-Distance Carpoolers
- [13:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-06-25-lyft-john-zimmer-2017#t=814) Pivoting to Lyft: The Smartphone Revolution
- [21:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-06-25-lyft-john-zimmer-2017#t=1260) Regulatory Battles: Cease-and-Desist Orders and PUC Meetings
- [27:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-06-25-lyft-john-zimmer-2017#t=1664) Scaling: Launching 24 Markets and Competing with Uber
- [33:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-06-25-lyft-john-zimmer-2017#t=2029) Future Vision: Autonomous Vehicles and City Design
- [36:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-06-25-lyft-john-zimmer-2017#t=2175) Postscript: Kyle Ewing and Terraslate Waterproof Paper

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Lyft (product)
- Zimride (product)
- Uber (company)
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car (company)
- Terraslate (product)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- American Express (company)

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- [Founder Feature: Max Luthy of Plink!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-04-18-founder-feature-max-luthy-of-plink) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#51 Pure Gold Series: Ask Seth Goldman Anything! Plus the Announcement of Just Ice Tea](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2022-07-06-51-pure-gold-series-ask-seth-goldman-anything-plus-the-announcement-of-just-ice) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Todd Harris of Plift](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-07-19-founder-feature-todd-harris-of-plift) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature - Fane He and Kyle Nguyen of  The Lucky Ox](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-06-20-founder-feature-fane-he-and-kyle-nguyen-of-the-lucky-ox) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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