As Lyft sets the stage to go public, a major question hanging over the company is how it will fare under constant pressure from its bigger rival Uber. Beyond that, there are many unknowns surrounding the costs of recruiting drivers, its efforts in autonomous vehicles and the future of its electric scooter and bike businesses.
The company’s public offering document, disclosed on Friday, showed improved cost controls amid sharp growth in revenue as well as other financial trends that bode well for the IPO. Lyft’s co-founders are expected to speak to potential IPO investors later this month, with its public market debut coming after that. The company hopes to be valued at between $20 billion and $25 billion, although its fourth quarter revenue growth suggests it may come in a little above that range. Here are 10 critical questions that investors should ask in order to understand the health of the business.