Lyft has named Indian American tech leader Senthil Padmanabhan as its chief technology officer, effective July 20, as the San Francisco based ride-hailing company looks to expand its artificial intelligence capabilities. He will be reporting to CEO David Risher.
“In a moment where companies are often tempted to use AI only to cut costs, Lyft is betting differently on what it can unlock: faster innovations and experiences for riders and drivers that weren’t possible before,” according to a company release.
READ: From scientist to C-suite: Sruti Balasubramanian is actnano’s new CTO (February 9, 2026)
At Lyft, Padmanabhan will “lead the engineering foundations that power everything the company builds – and in an era where AI is reshaping how we work, those foundations matter more than ever,” it stated.
He will set that direction: building on a world-class technical foundation to unlock what the company is able to deliver – helping riders get where they need to go, supporting the drivers who make that possible, and connecting people to the places and communities that matter to them.
“Lyft has a clear purpose, a product millions of people love and rely on every day, and a team that genuinely cares about getting it right,” said Padmanabhan. “My job is to make sure the Lyft ceiling keeps rising – using technology to multiply what we can achieve and unlock what wasn’t possible before.”
Read: NextRoll promotes Indian American Vibhor Kapoor as CEO (February 4, 2026)
Padmanabhan most recently served as VP of Engineering at eBay, where he scaled the company’s core engineering platform, applications and infrastructure. His leadership helped eBay become the segment leader in key categories such as Parts & Accessories and Collectibles, while making eBay the fastest e-commerce site globally.
Padmanabhan holds a master of science in software engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, and a bachelor of engineering in electronics and communication engineering from PSG College of Technology, Tamil Nadu.