Builder · Operator · Advisor

I build organizations
from zero to scale

I join companies when the problem is bigger than any single role and figure out how to make it work — across operations, product, strategy, and whatever else needs doing.

Ex-TikTok, Lyft & Passes
Seth Melnick
15+
years building global teams
Starting at zero

What I’ve built

I studied philosophy and spent three years regulating taxis at the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. In 2014 I joined Lyft as the first hire outside San Francisco and helped build local operations from one person to hundreds, developing driver incentive programs that are still used today. At TikTok, I spent five years scaling a global ops org from 4 markets to 150 as the platform grew from 400M to 1.9B users, leading product ops, support, comms, and content labeling across eight time zones. From there I joined Passes as Chief Business Officer, building the infrastructure for creators to own their businesses.

Across all of it I’ve done operations, product, data, strategy, finance, and whatever else needed doing. The throughline is that every company brought me in when the problem was bigger than any single role, and I figured out how to make it work.

Born in San Francisco, raised in New York City, now in Los Angeles with my wife Lisa, our sons Joaquin and Santiago, and our dog Mozart.

Latest
Passes
Chief Business Officer, now Advisor · 2024 – Present

Grew the team from 8 to 80+ across GTM, Ops, and Product. Recruited leaders across GTM, Ops, and Product who could build in ambiguity. Scaled revenue 58% and expanded revenue streams from 3 to 7. Stood up six new functions from scratch to build the operational backbone for scale. Now advising as the company enters its next phase.

+58%
revenue growth, team 8→80+
Previously
TikTok
Global Operations · 2019 – 2024

Led User and Product Operations as the platform scaled from 400M to 1.9B users. Built a team of operators, analysts, and community managers across 8 time zones who genuinely cared about the product and each other. Ran a 1,500-person org across 8 functions — Product Ops, Support, Insights, Comms, Community Management, Scaled Ops, Tools, and Content Labeling. Expanded market coverage from 4 to 150 markets.

1.9B
users, scaled from 400M
Where Tech Began For Me
Lyft
First local Lyft employee, tasked with building what local operations should be and look like. · 2014 – 2019

After three years regulating ride-hail at the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission, I crossed to the other side of the table as Lyft’s first employee outside of San Francisco. Hired the first 35 people in NYC — every one of them was a bet on character over credentials. Scaled rides 65x while managing P&L and regulatory operations. Later directed a $1.5B annual P&L through growth products. Key product featured in the Lyft S-1.

65x
NYC ride growth, team 1→35
How I Can Help

What I usually get asked about

Scaling 0→1 teams
Building orgs from scratch — hiring, culture, operating rhythm. I’ve done it four times across three companies.
📈
Go-to-market strategy
Revenue growth, marketplace dynamics, and finding product-market fit at the intersection of ops and product.
🌎
Global operations
Expanding from 4 to 150 markets. Cross-functional team design for hypergrowth. Building the systems that keep quality intact at scale.
💡
Consumer products
Platform strategy, user growth, and building products that people actually want to use every day.
Press

What people write about me

Passes BlogWelcoming Seth Melnick as Chief Business Officer2023Life at TikTokBuilding the D&I Council from the Ground Up2021TikTok NewsroomHashtag View Count Display Issue Post-Mortem2020Street FightNo Magic Bullet for Building a Multi-Sided Marketplace2016On-Demand MeetupPanel Discussion on the Future of On-Demand2016ApplicoThe Future of the On-Demand Economy2016Business InsiderSilicon Alley 100 — Most Influential in NYC Tech2015

Side Projects

I learn by building. When I get interested in something and the existing tools are either too complicated or trying to sell me something, I build one that works for me.

How to get in touch

Always happy to talk with builders. Whether you’re building something from scratch, scaling something that’s working, or just want to compare notes — I’m around.