Uber may be navigating a series of missteps, but don't expect the leaders of its biggest competitor to rejoice in the company's struggles. "There's nothing to celebrate in this situation," Lyft co-founder and president John Zimmer tells The New York Times. "But it does shine a light on the importance of values and ethics."

A Lyft car drives along Powell Street in San Francisco, California. Getty Images

Zimmer, who co-founded Lyft in 2012 with Logan Green, makes it clear that bashing the competition to get ahead is by no means a part of their game plan for growth. In fact, the two leaders have leaned hard on a "nice guy" strategy for leading their company, despite facing criticism about the need to be more aggressive. "For a while there was this idea that we are treating people well, and we are going to get beaten by a competitor that is more aggressive," Zimmer told the Financial Times. "There was a misunderstanding about those values [not being] tied to building a great business, which they are." Blogger Eric Barker dedicated a whole chapter in his recently released book, "Barking Up the Wrong Tree," to exploring whether nice guys do, in fact, finish last.

The Lyft Inc. logo is seen as John Zimmer, co-founder and president of Lyft Inc. Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images