The a16z Show · Friday, August 14, 2026
Travis Kalanick explained his decision not to acquire Lyft during his time at Uber, citing significant cultural differences. Despite external pressure and the high cost of the competition, Kalanick felt the cultural mismatch made the acquisition unworkable. He stands by this decision, even though it was difficult at the time.
“Why didn't you buy Lift? And do you regret it? What would you do if you can go back in time?”
“I think this will surprise a lot of people, but Lyft's culture was very different than ours.”
“You wouldn't do anything different. I wouldn't do anything different. And it's easy to say now, but I got a lot of shit for that for a long time.”