In 2010, a mutual friend introduced him to Ryan Graves, who worked an IT specialist job and was considering a move to San Francisco to help build something called UberApp. After Graves explained the concept, Walsh saw “the common sense approach” for someone, like a limo driver, to make money with an asset, a vehicle, that was under-utilized. He told Graves to take the job.
Graves became the first employee of Uber, and as a show of thanks, he, Travis Kalanick, and Garrett Camp (another cofounder) offered Walsh an opportunity to invest in the company.
He accepted. Since 2010, Uber’s valuation has soared from $5.4 million to around $72 billion, netting Walsh huge returns on paper, which he declined to share with Business Insider.
