Its cash balance also is shrinking. Lyft had $517 million in cash and equivalents at the end of last year, about half of what it had at the end of 2017. Lyft has been in a race with Uber to be first to offer its stock to the public, and has positioned itself as the affable alternative to its larger and more ubiquitous rival. Uber, which struggled with public relations setbacks in the past, expects to file its IPO later this year. Together, the two could raise billions of dollars to fuel their expansions and give investors an opportunity to see how the companies plan to become sustainable. Lyft's filing says that its co-founders — CEO Logan Green, 35, and President John Zimmer, 34 — will keep significant control of the company after it goes public and "will be able to significantly influence any action requiring the approval of our stockholders," including the election of board members, a merger, asset sales or other major corporate transactions.