Early Life
Ryan Graves was born in San Diego, California, in 1983. He attended Horizon Christian Academy and later studied at Miami University in Ohio, where he earned a degree in economics in 2006.
Rise to Success
Graves began his career at General Electric before moving to Foursquare, where he secured an internship. In February 2010, he became Uber's first employee, landing the job by responding to a tweet from Travis Kalanick. Graves served as CEO briefly and later became the SVP of Global Operations. He played a crucial role in shaping Uber's early culture and vision. Graves left Uber's board in May 2019.
Key Business Strategies
Graves's strategy involved rapid scaling and international expansion for Uber. After leaving Uber, he founded Saltwater, a family office investing in technology businesses, demonstrating his knack for identifying and capitalizing on opportunities.
Philanthropy
Graves is involved in philanthropy through Charity: Water, where he is on the board of directors and has pledged a portion of his net worth.