Lyft (LYFT) Risk Factors

We design, contract to design and manufacture, sell, and directly and indirectly modify, maintain and repair bikes and scooters for our network of Light Vehicles. Such bikes and scooters have in the past contained, and, in the future may contain, product issues related to their design, materials or construction, may be improperly maintained or repaired or may be subject to vandalism. These product issues, improper maintenance or repair or vandalism have in the past unexpectedly interfered, and could in the future unexpectedly interfere, with the intended operations of the bikes or scooters, and have resulted, and could in the future result, in other safety concerns, including alleged injuries to riders or third parties. Although we, our contract manufacturers, and our third-party service providers test our bikes and scooters before they are deployed onto our network or sold, there can be no assurance we will be able to detect or prevent all product issues. Failure to detect, prevent, fix or timely report real or perceived product issues and vandalism, or to properly maintain or repair our bikes and scooters has resulted or may result in a variety of consequences including product recalls and removal from service, service interruptions, alleged injuries, litigation, enforcement actions, including fines or penalties, regulatory proceedings, and negative publicity. Even if injuries to riders or third parties are not the result of any product issues in, vandalism of, or the failure to properly maintain or repair our bikes or scooters, we may incur expenses to defend or settle any claims or respond to regulatory inquiries, and our brand and reputation may be harmed. Any of the foregoing risks could also result in decreased usage of our network of Light Vehicles and adversely affect our business, brand, financial conditions and results of operations.

Our continued growth depends in part on our ability to cost-effectively attract and retain qualified drivers who satisfy our screening criteria and procedures and to increase their utilization of our platform. To attract and retain qualified drivers, we have, among other things, offered sign-up and referral bonuses and provided access to third-party vehicle rental programs for drivers who do not have or do not wish to use their own vehicle. Drivers are generally able to switch between our platform and competing platforms. If we do not continue to provide drivers with flexibility on our platform, compelling opportunities to increase earnings and other incentive programs, such as demand-based bonuses, that are comparable or superior to those of our competitors and other companies in the app-based work industry or other industries, or if drivers become dissatisfied with our programs and benefits or our requirements for drivers, including requirements regarding the vehicles they drive, we may fail to attract new drivers, retain current drivers or increase their utilization of our platform, or we may experience complaints, negative publicity, strikes or other work stoppages that could adversely affect our users and our business. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced a shortage of available drivers relative to rider demand in certain markets and offered increased incentives to improve driver supply. Our revenue and results of operations have in prior periods been negatively impacted by supply incentives, and to the extent that driver availability remains limited and we offer increased incentives to improve supply, our revenue and results of operations may be negatively impacted in the future. Additionally, following the passage of Proposition 22 in California, drivers have been able to access the earning opportunities described in the ballot measure. In addition, in connection with settlements with the New York and Massachusetts Attorneys General, the Company is continuing to implement certain operational changes that entail increased costs. Further, other jurisdictions have adopted or may adopt similar laws and regulations, and we may reach similar or other settlements with other jurisdictions, any of which may increase our expenses. Litigation seeking to reclassify drivers as employees is pending and/or threatened in multiple jurisdictions, including as described in the "Legal Proceedings" subheading in Note 6, Commitments and Contingencies to the condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. If such litigation is successful in one or more jurisdictions, we may be required to classify drivers as employees rather than independent contractors in those jurisdictions, and we may incur significant expenses to resolve the matters at issue in the litigation. If this occurs, we may need to develop and implement an employment model that we have not historically used or to cease operations, whether temporarily or permanently, in affected jurisdictions. We may face specific risks relating to our ability to onboard drivers as employees, our ability to partner with third-party organizations to source drivers and our ability to effectively utilize employee drivers to meet rider demand. If drivers are unsatisfied with our partners, including our third-party vehicle rental partners, our ability to attract and retain qualified drivers and to increase their utilization of our platform could be adversely affected. Further, incentives we provide to attract drivers could fail to attract and retain qualified drivers or fail to increase utilization, or could have other unintended adverse consequences. In addition, changes in certain laws and regulations, including immigration, labor and employment laws or background check requirements, may result in a shift or decrease in the pool of qualified drivers, which may result in increased competition for qualified drivers or higher costs of recruitment, operation and retention. As part of our business operations or research and development efforts, data on the vehicle may be collected and drivers may be uncomfortable or unwilling to drive knowing that data is being collected. Other factors outside of our control, such as concerns about personal health and safety, increases in the price of gasoline, vehicles or insurance, or concerns about the availability of government or other assistance programs if drivers continue to drive on our platform, may also reduce the number of drivers on our platform or their utilization of our platform, or impact our ability to onboard new drivers. If we fail to attract qualified drivers on favorable terms, fail to increase their utilization of our platform or lose qualified drivers to our competitors, we may not be able to meet the demand of riders, including maintaining a competitive price of rides to riders, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We rely on a limited number of third-party insurance service providers to service our auto-related claims. If any of our third-party insurance service providers fails to service claims to our expectations, discontinues or increases the cost of coverage or changes the terms of such coverage in a manner not favorable to drivers or to us, we cannot guarantee that we would be able to secure replacement coverage or services on reasonable terms in an acceptable time frame or at all. If we cannot find alternate third-party insurance service providers on terms acceptable to us, we may incur additional expenses related to servicing such auto-related claims using internal resources. In recent periods, the automotive insurance industry has experienced rising costs due to, among other things, inflation, supply chain challenges, and the cost of medical care, which has harmed our business, financial condition and results of operations, including through increased insurance renewal costs, and we expect it to continue to negatively impact the automotive insurance industry and our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have, from time to time, sold portions of retained insurance risk to third-parties, including as described in the "Insurance Reserves" subheading in Note 6, Supplemental Financial Statement Information to the consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. These transactions may cause us to incur additional expenses in the total cost of this risk, and we are subject to recapture of the risk if any third party reinsurer were to default on their reinsurance obligation. Any negative publicity related to any of our third-party insurance service providers could adversely affect our reputation and brand and could potentially lead to increased regulatory or litigation exposure. Any of the foregoing risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

From the time a driver becomes available to accept rides in the Lyft Driver App until the driver logs off and is no longer available to accept rides, we, through our wholly-owned insurance subsidiary and deductibles, often bear substantial financial risk with respect to auto-related incidents, including auto liability, uninsured and underinsured motorist, auto physical damage, first party injury coverages including personal injury protection under state law and general business liabilities up to certain limits. To comply with certain United States and Canadian province insurance regulatory requirements for auto-related risks, we procure a number of third-party insurance policies which provide the required coverage in such jurisdictions. In nearly all U.S. states, our insurance subsidiary reinsures a portion, which may change from time to time, of the auto-related risk from some third-party insurance providers. In connection with our reinsurance and deductible arrangements, we deposit funds into trust accounts with a third-party financial institution from which some third-party insurance providers are reimbursed for claims payments. If we fail to comply with state insurance regulatory requirements or other regulations governing insurance coverage, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. If any of our third-party insurance providers or administrators who handle the claim on behalf of the third-party insurance providers become insolvent, they could be unable to pay any claims that we make. We also procure third-party insurance policies to cover various operations-related risks including employment practices liability, workers' compensation, business interruptions, cybersecurity and data breaches, crime, directors' and officers' liability and general business liabilities, including product liability. For certain types of operations-related risks or future risks related to our new and evolving offerings, we may not be able to, or may choose not to, acquire insurance. In addition, we may not obtain enough insurance to adequately mitigate such operations-related risks or risks related to our new and evolving offerings, and we may have to pay high premiums, self-insured retentions or deductibles for the coverage we do obtain. Additionally, if any of our insurance or reinsurance providers becomes insolvent, it could be unable to pay any operations-related claims that we make. Certain losses may be excluded from insurance coverage including, but not limited to losses caused by intentional act, pollution, contamination, virus, bacteria, terrorism, war and civil unrest. The amount of one or more auto-related claims or operations-related claims has exceeded and could continue to exceed our applicable aggregate coverage limits, for which we have borne and could continue to bear a portion of the excess, in addition to amounts already incurred in connection with deductibles, self-insured retentions or otherwise paid by our insurance subsidiary. Insurance providers have raised premiums and deductibles for many types of coverages and for a variety of commercial risks and are likely to do so in the future. As a result, our insurance and claims expenses could increase, or we may decide to raise our deductibles or self-insured retentions when our policies are renewed or replaced to manage pricing pressure. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected if (i) cost per claim, premiums or the number of claims significantly exceeds our historical experience, (ii) we experience a claim in excess of our coverage limits, (iii) our insurance providers fail to pay on our insurance claims, (iv) we experience a claim for which coverage is not provided, (v) the number of claims and average claim cost under our deductibles or self-insured retentions differs from historic averages, (vi) an insurance policy is canceled or non-renewed, or (vii) other insurance providers for drivers on our platform become insolvent.

We currently partner and have partnered in the past with several companies to develop autonomous vehicle technology and offerings. Autonomous driving is a new and evolving market, which makes it difficult to predict its acceptance, its growth, and the magnitude and timing of necessary investments and other trends, including when it may be more broadly or commercially available. Our initiatives may not perform as expected, which would reduce the return on our investments in this area and our current or future partners may decide to terminate or scale back their partnerships with us. For example, in October 2022, one of our autonomous vehicle partners announced its wind-down, and as a result we incurred a total impairment charge of $135.7 million consisting of impairments of our non-marketable equity investment in such company and other assets. Following the sale of our Level 5 self-driving vehicle division in 2021, we no longer develop our own autonomous vehicle technology, so we must develop and maintain partnerships with other companies to offer autonomous vehicle technology on our platforms, and if we are unable to do so, or if we do so at a slower pace or at a higher cost or if our technology is less capable relative to our competitors, or if our efforts to optimize our strategy with regard to our autonomous vehicle technology development are not successful, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Likewise, if our current or future autonomous vehicle technology partners are delayed or prevented from developing autonomous vehicle technology, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. For example, a general decrease in available capital, as well as an increase in regulatory scrutiny could delay or prevent the development of autonomous vehicle technology by our partners.

Companies in the markets in which we operate are frequently subject to litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. In addition, certain companies and rights holders seek to enforce and monetize patents or other intellectual property rights they own, have purchased or otherwise obtained. As our business continues to evolve, the possibility of intellectual property rights claims against us grows based on the following: increase in public profile, increases in the number of competitors in our markets, our continued development of new technologies, new products and services, and new intellectual property, as well as potential international expansion. In addition, various products and services of ours host, integrate, or otherwise rely on third party content or intellectual property, including our Lyft Media efforts, which provides a platform for third-party promotional advertisements, and our marketing and brand journalism efforts. From time to time third parties may assert, and in the past have asserted, claims of infringement of intellectual property rights against us. See the section titled "Legal Proceedings" for additional information about these types of legal proceedings. In addition, third parties have sent us correspondence regarding various allegations of intellectual property infringement and, in some instances, have sought to initiate licensing discussions. Although we believe that we have meritorious defenses, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in defending against these allegations or reaching a business resolution that is satisfactory to us. Our competitors and others may now and in the future have significantly larger and more mature patent portfolios than us. In addition, we have faced, and may again in the future face, litigation involving patent holding companies or other adverse patent owners who have no relevant product or service revenue and against whom our own patents may therefore provide little or no deterrence or protection. Many potential litigants, including some of our competitors and patent-holding companies, have the ability to dedicate substantial resources to assert their intellectual property rights. Any claim of infringement by a third party, even those without merit, could cause us to incur substantial costs defending against the claim, could distract our management from our business and could require us to cease use of such intellectual property. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, we risk compromising our confidential information during this type of litigation. We may be required to pay substantial damages, royalties or other fees in connection with a claimant securing a judgment against us, we may be subject to an injunction or other restrictions that prevent us from using or distributing our intellectual property, or we may agree to a settlement that prevents us from distributing our offerings or a portion thereof, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. With respect to any intellectual property rights claim, we may have to seek out a license to continue operations found to be in violation of such rights, which may not be available on favorable or commercially reasonable terms and may significantly increase our operating expenses. Some licenses may be non-exclusive, and therefore our competitors may have access to the same technology licensed to us. If a third-party does not offer us a license to its intellectual property on reasonable terms, or at all, we may be required to develop alternative, non-infringing technology or other intellectual property, which could require significant time (during which we would be unable to continue to offer our affected offerings), effort and expense and may ultimately not be successful. Any of these events could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We use artificial intelligence ("AI") (including machine learning and automated decision making) for our internal work streams and productivity as well as in our platform, offerings, services and features, which may present additional risks, including risks inherent in its use. We are making investments in expanding our AI capabilities in our platform, offerings, services and features, including ongoing deployment and improvement of existing machine learning and AI technologies, as well as developing new features using AI technologies, including, for example, generative AI. AI algorithms or automated processing of data may be flawed and datasets may be insufficient or contain inaccurate or biased information, which can create discriminatory outcomes. AI algorithms may use third-party inputs with unclear intellectual property rights or interests. Intellectual property ownership and license rights, including copyright, of generative and other AI output, have not been fully interpreted by courts or fully addressed by federal or state regulations. The United States and other countries are considering comprehensive legal compliance frameworks specifically for AI, which is a trend that may increase now that the European Union has adopted the first such framework in its Artificial Intelligence Act. In addition, there may be additional legislation or regulations from government bodies that similarly impose compliance obligations for AI. Any failure or perceived failure by us or our service providers to comply with such requirements could have an adverse impact on our business. AI use or management by us or others, including decisions based on automated processing or profiling, inappropriate or controversial data practices, or insufficient disclosures regarding machine learning, automated decision making, and algorithms, have and could impair the operationality or acceptance of AI solutions or subject us to lawsuits, regulatory investigations or other harm, such as negative impacts to the value of our intellectual property or our brand. These deficiencies could also undermine the decisions, predictions or analysis AI applications produce, or lead to unintentional bias and discrimination, subjecting us to competitive harm, legal liability, and brand or reputational harm. The rapid evolution of AI may require us to allocate additional resources to help implement AI in order to minimize unintended or harmful impacts, and may also require us to make additional investments in the development of proprietary datasets, machine learning models or other systems, which may be costly.

We are subject to a wide variety of laws in the United States and other jurisdictions. Laws, regulations and standards governing issues such as TNCs, livery, vehicles for hire, public companies, ridesharing, worker classification, labor and employment, anti-discrimination, payments, gift cards, whistleblowing and worker confidentiality obligations, product liability, defects, recalls, auto maintenance and repairs, personal injury, marketing, advertising, text messaging, subscription services, intellectual property, AI, securities, consumer protection, taxation, privacy, data security, competition, unionizing and collective action, antitrust, arbitration agreements and class action waiver provisions, terms of service, web and mobile application accessibility, autonomous vehicles, bike and scooter sharing, insurance, vehicle rentals, money transmittal, non-emergency medical transportation, healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse, environmental health and safety, greenhouse gas emissions and EVs, background checks, public health, anti-corruption, anti-bribery, political contributions, lobbying, import and export restrictions, trade and economic sanctions, foreign ownership and investment, foreign exchange controls and delivery of goods are often complex and subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity. As a result, their application in practice may change or develop over time through judicial decisions or as new guidance or interpretations are provided by regulatory and governing bodies, such as federal, state and local administrative agencies. The ridesharing industry, Light Vehicle sharing industry and our business model are relatively nascent and rapidly evolving. When we introduced a peer-to-peer ridesharing marketplace in 2012, the laws and regulations in place at the time did not directly address our offerings. Laws and regulations that were in existence at that time, and some that have since been adopted, were often applied to our industry and our business in a manner that limited our relationships with drivers or otherwise inhibited the growth of our ridesharing marketplace. We have been proactively working with federal, state and local governments and regulatory bodies to ensure that our ridesharing marketplace and other offerings are available broadly in the United States and Canada. In part due to our efforts, a large majority of U.S. states have adopted laws related to TNCs to address the unique issues of the ridesharing industry. New laws and regulations and changes to existing laws and regulations continue to be adopted, implemented and interpreted in response to our industry and related technologies. As we expand our business into new markets or introduce new offerings into existing markets, regulatory bodies or courts may claim that we or users on our platform are subject to additional requirements, or that we are prohibited from conducting our business in certain jurisdictions, or that users on our platform are prohibited from using our platform, either generally or with respect to certain offerings. Certain jurisdictions and governmental entities, including airports, require us to obtain permits, pay fees or comply with certain reporting and other operational requirements to provide our ridesharing, bike and scooter sharing, and Flexdrive offerings. These jurisdictions and governmental entities may reject our applications for permits, revoke or suspend existing or deny renewals of permits to operate, delay our ability to operate, increase their fees, charge new types of fees, or impose fines and penalties, including as a result of errors in, or failures to comply with, reporting or other requirements related to our product offerings. Any of the foregoing actions by these jurisdictions and governmental entities could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Recent financial, political and other events have increased the level of regulatory scrutiny on larger companies, technology companies in general and companies engaged in dealings with independent contractors, such as ridesharing and delivery companies. Regulatory bodies may enact new laws or promulgate new regulations that are adverse to our business, or, due to changes in our operations and structure or partner relationships as a result of changes in the market or otherwise, they may view matters or interpret laws and regulations differently than they have in the past or in a manner adverse to our business. See the risk factor entitled "Challenges to contractor classification of drivers that use our platform may have adverse business, financial, tax, legal and other consequences to our business." Such regulatory scrutiny or action may create different or conflicting obligations from one jurisdiction to another, and may have a negative outcome that could adversely affect our business, operations, financial condition, and results of operations. Additionally, we have invested and from time to time we will continue to invest resources in an attempt to influence or challenge legislation and other regulatory matters pertinent to our operations, particularly those related to the ridesharing industry, which may negatively impact the legal and administrative proceedings challenging the classification of drivers on our platform as independent contractors if we are unsuccessful or lead to additional costs and expenses even if we are successful. These activities may not be successful, and any negative outcomes could adversely affect our business, operations, financial condition and results of operations. Our industry is increasingly regulated. We have been subject to intense regulatory pressure from state, provincial and municipal regulatory authorities across the United States and Canada, and a number of them have imposed limitations on ridesharing and bike and scooter sharing, and certain jurisdictions have adopted rules governing minimum driver earnings for ridesharing platforms. Other jurisdictions in which we currently operate or may want to operate have and could continue to consider legislation regulating driver earnings. We could also face similar regulatory restrictions from foreign regulators as we expand operations internationally, particularly in areas where we face competition from local incumbents. In addition, we may face regulations relating to new or developing technologies. For example, the European Union has adopted the Artificial Intelligence Act, which will impose operational and regulatory requirements relating to the use of AI technologies, and other jurisdictions may adopt laws and regulations relating to AI. Adverse changes in laws or regulations at all levels of government or bans on or material limitations to our offerings could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our success, or perceived success, and increased visibility has driven, and may continue to drive, some businesses that perceive our business model negatively to raise their concerns to local policymakers and regulators. These businesses and their trade association groups or other organizations have and may continue to take actions and employ significant resources to shape the legal and regulatory regimes in jurisdictions where we may have, or seek to have, a market presence in an effort to change such legal and regulatory regimes in ways intended to adversely affect or impede our business and the ability of drivers and riders to utilize our platform. Any of the foregoing risks could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are regularly subject to claims, lawsuits, arbitration proceedings, government and regulatory investigations and other legal and regulatory proceedings in the ordinary course of business, including those involving personal injury, property damage, worker classification, driver earnings, labor and employment, anti-discrimination, commercial disputes, competition, consumer complaints (e.g., claims brought under the TCPA or other laws), intellectual property disputes, compliance with regulatory requirements, securities laws, and other matters, and we may become subject to additional types of claims, lawsuits, government investigations and legal or regulatory proceedings as our business grows and as we deploy new offerings, including proceedings related to product liability or our acquisitions, data privacy, advertising, securities issuances or business practices. We are also regularly subject to claims, lawsuits, arbitration proceedings, government investigations and other legal and regulatory proceedings seeking to hold us liable for the actions of independent contractor drivers on our platform. See the section titled "Legal Proceedings" for additional information about these types of legal proceedings. The results of any such claims, lawsuits, arbitration proceedings, government investigations or other legal or regulatory proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. Any claims against us, whether meritorious or not, could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation, be harmful to our reputation, require significant management attention and divert significant resources. Determining reserves for our pending litigation is a complex and fact-intensive process that requires significant subjective judgment and speculation. It is possible that a resolution of one or more such proceedings could result in substantial damages, settlement costs, fines and penalties that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. These proceedings could also result in harm to our reputation and brand, sanctions, consent decrees, injunctions or other orders requiring a change in our business practices. Any of these consequences could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, under certain circumstances, we have contractual and other legal obligations to indemnify and to incur legal expenses on behalf of our business, commercial, and government partners and current and former directors and officers. A determination in, resolution of, or settlement of, any legal proceeding, whether we are party to such legal proceeding or not, that involves our industry, could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, a determination related to driver classification matters, whether we are party to such determination or not, could cause us to incur significant expenses or require substantial changes to our business model. In addition, we regularly include arbitration provisions in our Terms of Service with the drivers and riders and other parties on our platform. These provisions are intended to streamline the litigation process for all parties involved, as arbitration can in some cases be faster and less costly than litigating disputes in state or federal court. However, arbitration may become more costly for us or the volume of arbitration may increase and become burdensome, and the use of arbitration provisions may subject us to certain risks to our reputation and brand, as these provisions have been the subject of increasing public scrutiny. In order to minimize these risks to our reputation and brand, we have in the past and may continue to limit our use of arbitration provisions or be required to do so in a legal or regulatory proceeding, either of which could increase our litigation costs and exposure. For example, effective May 2018, we ended mandatory arbitration of sexual misconduct claims by users and employees. Further, with the potential for conflicting rules regarding the scope and enforceability of arbitration on a state-by-state basis, as well as between state and federal law or between U.S. and foreign law, there is a risk that some or all of our arbitration provisions could be subject to challenge or may need to be revised to exempt certain categories of protection. If our arbitration agreements were found to be unenforceable, in whole or in part, or specific claims are required to be exempted from arbitration, we could experience an increase in our costs to litigate disputes and the time involved in resolving such disputes, and we could face increased exposure to potentially costly lawsuits, each of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to tax laws, regulations, and policies of the U.S. federal, state, and local governments and of comparable taxing authorities in foreign jurisdictions. As various levels of governments and international organizations become increasingly focused on tax reform, changes in tax laws, as well as other factors, could cause us to experience fluctuations in our tax obligations and effective tax rates and otherwise adversely affect our tax positions and/or our tax liabilities. For example, the United States passed the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which introduced a 1% excise tax on stock buybacks that could impact us in connection with a settlement of the capped call transactions. Further, a provision of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the option to deduct research and development expenditures in the year incurred and requires the capitalization and amortization of such costs. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ("OECD") released Pillar Two model rules defining a 15% global minimum tax for large multinational companies. The OECD continues to release additional guidance and countries are in various stages of implementation with widespread adoption of the Pillar Two Framework expected in the near future. Any of these or other developments or changes in tax laws or rulings in jurisdictions in which we operate could adversely affect our effective tax rate and our operating results.

Prior to COVID-19, the ridesharing market grew rapidly, but it is still relatively new, and it is uncertain to what extent market acceptance will continue to grow, if at all. In addition, the market for our other offerings, such as our network of Light Vehicles, is relatively new and unproven, and it is uncertain whether demand for bike and scooter sharing will continue to grow and achieve wide market acceptance. Our success will depend to a substantial extent on the willingness of people to widely adopt ridesharing and our other offerings across a variety of use cases. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we paused our Shared Rides offerings, and we were temporarily restricted from operating our scooter share program in one jurisdiction due to public health and safety measures. We had to suspend or discontinue these offerings from time to time due to various concerns. In the event of significant public health concerns, such as COVID-19, or other events beyond our control, we may be required or believe it is advisable to suspend such offerings again. If the public does not perceive ridesharing or our other offerings as beneficial, or chooses not to adopt them as a result of concerns regarding public health or safety, affordability, longer-term behavioral and social shifts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, or for other reasons, whether as a result of incidents on our platform or on our competitors' platforms, health concerns, or otherwise, then the market for our offerings may not further develop, may develop more slowly than we expect or may not achieve the growth potential we expect. Additionally, from time to time we re-evaluate the markets in which we operate and the performance of our offerings, and we have discontinued and may in the future discontinue operations in certain markets as a result of such evaluations. For example, we now offer Shared Rides exclusively in connection with business-to-business partnerships and only in select markets. Any of the foregoing risks and challenges could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have established environmental programs, such as requiring our suppliers to ensure the efficient use of raw materials, water, and energy resources via our Supplier Code of Conduct, and we recognize that there are inherent climate-related risks wherever business is conducted. For example, our San Francisco, California headquarters is projected to be vulnerable to future water scarcity and sea level rise due to climate change, as well as climate-related events including wildfires and associated power shut-offs. Climate-related events, including the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and their impact on critical infrastructure in the U.S. and elsewhere, have the potential to disrupt our business, our third-party suppliers, and the business of our customers, and may cause us to experience higher attrition, losses and additional costs to maintain or resume operations. Additionally, we are subject to emerging climate change policies such as California's Clean Miles Standard and Incentive Program and California SB 253 and SB 261, which impose greenhouse gas and EV requirements on our industry, and efforts to meet those requirements as well as failure to do so could have adverse impacts on our costs and ability to operate in California, as well as public goodwill towards our company. Massachusetts, New York City and Toronto are developing or have developed and implemented rules to address the environmental impact of rideshare, and other jurisdictions are likely to consider similar rules and regulations in the future. In addition, the SEC recently adopted climate rules that will require disclosure regarding climate related information in our annual report, including material climate related risks, greenhouse gas emissions, material climate related goals and targets as well as governance related to climate related risks. These rules have been voluntarily stayed by the SEC pending judicial review, but, if implemented, will require significant management time and attention as well as increased compliance costs. We often advocate for EV programs that can be efficiently accessed by drivers on our platform and rental car operators, and any failure of such programs to address EV capital costs, EV charging costs, and EV charging infrastructure in the context of transportation network companies' unique needs could challenge our ability to progress toward internal and external EV targets. Furthermore, these EV programs are asset-intensive and require significant capital investments and recurring costs, including debt payments, maintenance, depreciation, asset life and asset replacement costs, and if we are not able to maintain sufficient levels of utilization of such assets or such offerings are otherwise not successful, our investments may not generate sufficient returns and our financial condition may be adversely affected. If we are not able to allocate sufficient capital or other resources to these programs and achievement of these goals, we may not be able to make progress toward or achieve such commitments and goals in a timely manner or at all, or we may need to modify or terminate certain programs or goals. We may also enter into arrangements with third parties for financing, leasing or otherwise, to enable us to meet our commitments and other legal or regulatory requirements. Such transactions may require us to provide guarantees for financing. We may also benefit from certain tax credits for EVs and, if such tax credits expire or are terminated or we are otherwise unable to use them, we may not realize the benefits we have planned and our business and financial condition and results of operations may be negatively affected. If we fail, or are perceived to fail, to make such progress or achievements, or to maintain environmental practices that meet evolving stakeholder expectations, or if we revise any of our commitments, initiatives, or goals, our brand and reputation could be harmed and we may face criticism from the media or our stakeholders, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.