Ryan Graves (businessman)

Not to be confused with Ryan Graves (ice hockey).
Ryan Graves
Graves in 2018
Born1983 (age 41–42)
San Diego, California, US
EducationMiami University (2006)
Occupation(s)Founder & CEO, Saltwater
SVP, Uber (2010-2017)
CEO, Uber (2010)
Known forFirst employee of Uber
Board member ofCharity: Water
Metromile
SpouseMolly Graves
Children4

Ryan Graves (born 1983) is an American billionaire, a former CEO and member of the board of directors of Uber, and a current member of the board of directors of Charity: Water, Pachama, and Metromile. He is also the CEO of Saltwater, his family office.

Early life and education

Graves was born in San Diego, California and grew up near the beach. He attended Horizon Christian Academy, where he competed for the high school surf team. In 2006, he graduated with an economics degree from Miami University in Ohio, where he was a member of the water polo club team and the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.[1]

Career

Graves worked for General Electric. He eventually got an internship at Foursquare by pretending to work for them after they turned him down for a job.[2]

In February 2010, Graves became the first employee of Uber, receiving the job by responding "here's a tip. email me :)" to a post by Travis Kalanick on Twitter. Graves started out as general manager and was named CEO shortly after the launch.[3] In December 2010, Kalanick succeeded Graves as CEO and Graves became chief operating officer (COO).[4]

By 2019, Graves owned 31.9 million shares in Uber. That year, he resigned from the board of directors of Uber.[5]

In 2018, Graves founded Saltwater, his family office, focused on investments in technology businesses.[6]

In February 2021, Graves made a $50 million investment in and became a member of the board of directors of Metromile, a pay-per-mile auto insurer.[7]

Personal life

Graves is married to Molly Graves, his college sweetheart and a kindergarten teacher. They have four children, all sons, and live on the island of Kaua'i, Hawaii. He is a supporter of the San Diego Padres baseball team.[1]

Graves serves on the board of directors of Charity: Water and has pledged at least 1% of his net worth to the charity, which focuses on delivering clean water solutions to people in developing nations.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b Balakrishnan, Anita (May 14, 2017). "How Ryan Graves became Uber's first CEO". CNBC.
  2. ^ Huet, Ellen (March 2, 2015). "Uber Cofounder Garrett Camp, First Hire Ryan Graves Join FORBES Billionaires List". Forbes.
  3. ^ Shontell, Alyson (January 11, 2014). "All Hail The Uber Man! How Sharp-Elbowed Salesman Travis Kalanick Became Silicon Valley's Newest Star". Business Insider. Archived from the original on September 8, 2018.
  4. ^ Cellan-Jones, Rory (June 24, 2014). "Uber and Indiegogo – tales of disruption". BBC News. Archived from the original on September 8, 2018.
  5. ^ Austin, Scott (May 24, 2019). "Uber's First Hired Employee, Ryan Graves, Is Leaving the Board". The Wall Street Journal.
  6. ^ Graves, Ryan (September 25, 2018). "Saltwater Capital, Investing through the partner equity model". Medium.
  7. ^ "Uber Veteran Ryan Graves to Invest $50 Million in Metromile, Will Join Board of Directors" (Press release). Globe Newswire. February 1, 2021.
  8. ^ Gelles, David (April 11, 2019). "A Charity Accepts Uber Stock as Donations. Then Uses It to Pay Staff Bonuses. Is That O.K.?". The New York Times.