Case Study: How Uber Beat Lyft And Reached A $100B Valuation w/ Emil Michael (Former Chief Business Officer @ Uber)

Emil, I believe one's earliest years are fundamental to understanding who they are as a person. How did your childhood influence you?

You know, I'm having my second kid in about a week, so I was going through all of the mementos that one accumulates over the years. And I stumbled upon my first paychecks from selling shoes at a shoe store and working at a snack bar.

And it reminded me that there's an immigrant ethic you get when your parents come to this country, and it’s like, “You gotta succeed.” That notion of you got to be independent, you got to be self-sufficient, you got to be able to support yourself all started at a super young age.

So I was looking at these paychecks from when I was 11 years old, and it reminded me of that ethic that gives you your first 10,000 or 40,000 hours.

Sometimes, we will see people who are successful early in their careers take a break for the rest. What is it about you that’s kept you driven from Tellme to Uber to now advising companies?

Well, first, I started at Uber when I was 40. So, you know, it wasn't like I hit the best company that's ever built when I was 25. Who knows what would have happened if that happened, but generally speaking, even now, post-Uber, why am I engaged? Why am I not on the beach or an island?