Lime's CEO shares how he overcame a stroke to take his company to a $1.7 billion IPO

Wayne Ting, the CEO of Lime, survived a serious stroke and led his e-scooter company to a $1.7 billion IPO less than two years later. In an interview with Business Insider's Katie Roof at Tech Insider: Growth Mode, Ting discussed the need for humanity in Silicon Valley and how he overcame his health crisis. He mentioned that he couldn't find examples of other CEOs who publicly spoke about their stroke recovery during his hospitalization.

Ting emphasized the importance of portraying vulnerability and being human in the competitive world of Silicon Valley. He compared his fight to navigate Lime through the turbulent micromobility industry with the recovery from his stroke, stating that both required getting 1% better every day. Under Ting's leadership, Lime replaced its entire scooter fleet every month; now, the redesigned e-scooters and bikes last over five years.

The company's adoption rate is currently growing at a rate of 100% year-over-year in the mature market of San Francisco. Ting also highlighted the importance of sustainability and his previous efforts to change Uber's culture, where employees were willing to cross any line. As the COO of Uber, Ting overhauled the company's culture to ensure that employees thought twice before engaging in unethical practices.

He believes that "Win-at-all-costs" is an insane idea, as even temporary success will eventually catch up with the company. Lime raised around $167 million in its IPO, and its stock price soared in late summer before settling at its listing valuation of $1.7 billion. Ting explained that Lime's success was primarily due to its size, improving unit economics, and strong financial growth, factors that convinced Wall Street of the company's potential to succeed where Bird faltered.