Overview

• In Fortune’s Leadership Next podcast, Risher recounts Bill Gates warning him in 1996 against leaving Microsoft for Jeff Bezos’s then‑tiny Amazon.
• He joined Amazon as its 37th employee, helped expand product categories, and a 2002 thank-you letter from Bezos acknowledging his impact remains on Amazon’s site.
• As Lyft CEO since 2023, he says undercover driving informed features such as Price Lock and a 70% earnings guarantee that treats drivers as customers.
• Risher reports cutting Lyft’s driver cancellation rate from about 15% to below 5% and frames the effort as a push against what he calls “enshittification.”
• Fortune notes Lyft shares are up roughly 60% year to date, though down about 20% over five years.