Company culture

Impressive Benefits You Didn't Know Lyft Offers

Everything you need to know about working in one of Lyft's corporate offices.

We've done the research and compiled it all in one place. Keep reading to learn about the culture, benefits, and interview process at Lyft.

A People-Centered Culture

Photo credit: San Francisco Business Times

An Uplifting Atmosphere

Lyft strives to build a team of diverse and passionate individuals, adhering to its mantra that "amazing companies start with amazing people." A review from Lyft's HR department on Comparably describes the company environment:

"Lyft has done a great job of building a really strong culture filled with people who respect one another and who constantly want to help each other."

A recurring theme among employee reviews is Lyft's close-knit environment, where team members make themselves readily available to help one another and support their coworkers' growth. A technical program manager echos this in a Glassdoor review:

“I had the pleasure of working with some of the most genuine and intelligent people. Many of my closest friendships were formed there. I was able to continually learn from others and work on some interesting technologies and problems. I had the opportunity to work on many teams and roles over my tenure.”

Attitudes toward leadership tend to vary: some team members report that their voices are heard and efforts are supported by management, while others report a disconnect between management and the rest of the team. This suggests that relationships with leadership vary across office locations, and it may be worth investigating the team culture at the location you are applying to.

Lyft's Reputation Amid Prop 22
Major public headlines also have an impact on company dynamics. You may have heard Lyft mentioned in the news recently amid the controversial Prop 22. Along with similar companies like Uber, Doordash, and Instacart, Lyft sought to keep rideshare drivers employed as independent contractors and ultimately won. These ridesharing companies offered concessions to workers in order to bypass a new California state law which makes it more difficult to classify workers as independent contractors. Lyft drivers are now guaranteed minimum wages, some healthcare benefits, and additional insurance coverage.  While Prop 22 certainly affected Lyft's reputation and its gig workers, corporate workers have an entirely different classification and set of benefits. They also tend to have more positive experiences with the company because there is no controversy over their statuses as full-time employees.

Positive Work-Life Balance

Photo credit: Architectural Digest

Lyft strives to provide a positive work-life balance for its team members. According to Comparably, "80% of Lyft employees report they are happy with their work-life balance" and "58% of the employees at Lyft work eight hours or less" in a workday. 

Lyft ranks in the top 30% of US companies in terms of both the work-life balance and the happiness of its team members. To support a healthy work-life balance, Lyft offers generous paid time off and permits team members to work remotely and/or on a flexible schedule.

A Focus on Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity and inclusivity are important pillars of Lyft's culture. According to its Inclusion, Diversity, and Racial Equity Report, Lyft strives for greater "diversity in workforce representation." As of 2020, it seems as though they're making progress: 52.7% of Lyft's staff members are of ethnic minority backgrounds. The company specifically works to "recruit, develop, retain, and promote Women, Black, and Latinx team members and executives."

One of Lyft's steps toward promoting greater diversity is its Early Talent Access (ETA) Program. Initiated in 2019, ETA prepares underrepresented tech students for the interview process. So far, it appears to be working: the ETA program has resulted in greater diversity among interns and new hires. Lyft also strives to promote diversity in the C-suite. The company implemented a policy of interviewing at least one woman and one Black/Latinx applicant for every executive position. 

Lyft conducts annual pay equity audits to assess pay gaps. Its Inclusion, Diversity, and Racial Equity Report concludes, "Our fourth-annual pay equity audit found no statistically significant pay disparities across gender or race after accounting for legitimate business factors." In this case, legitimate business factors include performance, experience, and location.

Extensive Benefits and Perks

Photo credit: Office Snapshots

Employees generally have positive things to say about Lyft's benefits for corporate employees. One person reported on Glassdoor:

“Great benefits, dog-friendly workplace, free snacks, unlimited PTO for salaried employees, sabbatical after a number of years, 18 weeks maternity and paternity leave as well as assistive fertility services, and after a certain salary level company stock, and superb health insurance. Highly recommend.”

Photo credit: Office Snapshots

Competitive Salary

Our data, which updates in real-time, indicates that the average salary for a Lyft corporate career is a competitive $359,235 with an average base pay of $182,100, an average equity grant of $168,716, and an average signing bonus of $31,250. 

Although they dole out rewards to the highest-performing employees, performance bonuses are not part of most compensation packages.

Top-Notch Health Insurance Benefits

According to reviews, Lyft's health insurance for corporate employees is excellent. The company offers medical, dental, and vision insurance benefits.

Lyft covers One Medical membership fees (where available), which is a healthcare service that offers same or next-day appointments and 24/7 access to virtual care. It also covers mental health care through its Modern Health Partnership, providing access to therapists for US employees and their dependents. 

Lyft offers additional health perks that distinguish it from other companies. According to its ESG report, "Lyft offers periodic on-site well-being initiatives, including flu shots, nutrition and ergonomics workshops, discounted partnerships with fitness vendors."

Good Financial Benefits But No 401k Match

Lyft's financial benefits are fairly standard: it offers a 401K plan, short-term disability insurance, and life insurance. Like many big tech companies, Lyft also has an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, which allows team members to purchase its stock at a 15% discount. The company offers financial consulting appointments to assist its employees with their investment decisions.

Some of Lyft's financial benefits fall short of other companies in the industry. Its 401k plan does not match employee contributions, unlike top competitors such as Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. Employees say the 401K plan is decent, and the associated financial consulting is helpful.

Unlimited PTO? Yes, You Heard that Right

Lyft offers salaried US employees unlimited paid vacation as well as 11 observed holidays. Full-time hourly employees also receive considerable time off. Lyft's ESG report specifies this further: "Non-exempt team members [which include full-time hourly employees] have up to 15 days of paid vacation and 72 hours of sick time off each year."

Lyft offers generous leave time for specific circumstances as well:

  • New parents can receive 18 weeks of paid time off, which is applicable to biological, adoptive, and foster parents. Lyft's parental leave policy is flexible by allowing new parents to take off all 18 weeks at once or in one-week increments.
  • Lyft team members can take 12 fully paid weeks off for military leave, medical leave, and family care leave.
  • The loss of an immediate family member allows for 2 weeks of paid time off.

Other Notable Perks

Photo credit: Office Snapshots

Lyft offers some other great perks to its employees outside of the typical benefits you see at most companies:

  • Lyft team members in the United States receive free Lyft pink memberships, which include 15% off Lyft rides, priority airport pickups, and free Grubhub+ memberships.
  • When they're not using Lyft pink, team members receive pre-tax commuter benefits, which offer some transportation and parking coverage.
  • $200 monthly Lyft credit, but it's taxable as income if you use it and marginal rates are pretty high.
  • Most Lyft offices are also pet-friendly.
  • Free snacks, including bowls of candy in almost every lobby.
  • Free meals are available to employees, but note that dinner starts at 7:30 which is on the later side.
  • A subscription to Udemy, a library of online courses that teach skills in a variety of industries ranging from Music to Finance & Accounting.

Photo credit: Architectural Digest

Lyft arguably has one of the coolest headquarters in tech with a ton of unique spaces including a Willy Wonka room that you enter through a painting, parklets with live plants, and conference rooms sporting extravagant wallpapers.

Photo credit: Office Snapshots

Getting Hired at Lyft

Photo credit: Office Lovin

The Interview Process

Getting hired at this rideshare company is fairly straightforward. Depending on the role and level, exact details may vary, but here's what to expect overall.

  1. If you are chosen from the pool of applicants, you will first speak with a recruiter, who will guide you through the interview process and be your point of contact for any questions.
  2. Next, you will complete a first-round interview, often conducted over the phone. During this round, be prepared to answer questions about yourself and your experience. Depending on the role, you may have to complete an exercise. For example, if interviewing for an engineering position, you may perform a task in which you run code.
  3. Follow-up interviews look different for everyone. For higher-level roles, you can expect a greater volume of interviews and questions touching on leadership abilities. For engineering or data science roles, you can expect to complete technical assignments during your interview process. For product-centered or human resources roles, you can expect to answer behavioral and situational questions.

Tips for Success

The company tends to be pretty supportive in setting you up for the interview: recruiters are happy to answer any questions, and sometimes, study materials are provided for the interview. 

Basically, you shouldn't be worried, but you should be prepared! Here are a couple of things to be aware of:

  • Lyft isn't known for throwing curveballs: they want you to succeed, and will be transparent about their expectations during each interview.
  • Many interviewers are known for being blunt and straightforward. Some will skip the typical interview small talk, and others will cut off your answers if they've gotten what they need. If this happens, know it's not personal, and don't let it impact the rest of your interview performance.
  • The hiring team wants to know that you embody the company's core values, which include wowing customers and creating fearlessly. The full list of values is located here.
  • Lyft values mutual fit. Come prepared with interesting, thought-provoking questions about what it's like to work there, the personal experiences of the interviewer, etc. Most interviewers will value this above super-specific product or company questions.

Hiring During Covid

Lyft's San Francisco Headquarters was one of the first offices sent home last year at the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. Since then, most offices have been working from home.

Lyft reduced the size of its workforce at the onset of the pandemic, but currently has job openings in several major cities. It also offers a Remote option as a location choice when applying to open positions. With over 45 Lyft offices, from New York City to the Bay Area, you have plenty of options in regard to work locations.

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