Frédéric Mazzella

Founder & Chairman, BlaBlaCar SA (Comuto SA)

Episode 56- Metrics on the Move: BlaBlaCar's Co-founder Frédéric Mazzella on How to Measure Success

📅 Jul 01, 2025 Technologist of the Month 16 MIN 66 SEGMENTS · 2 SPEAKERS

Frédéric Mazzella, founder of BlablaCar, is also co-founder of Captain Cause, which allows companies to finance environmental ...

Questions asked in this interview

0:09The first question is: at what age do you want to retire?
0:26Most embarrassing moment of your life?
0:49How many hours of sleep can you survive on?
1:28The biggest mistake of your career?
1:51A habit of yours that you hate?
2:19One word description of your leadership style?
2:50How did you identify the need for a carpooling platform in Europe?
4:32So can you share some examples of how BlaBlaCar adapted its marketing strategies to resonate with diverse cultural contexts in different countries?
6:33And do you think sustainable transport solutions such as electric bikes and scooters will plan the future of urban mobility?
9:09So when you look at branding and communication, what are the key metrics and performance indicators you use to measure the success of all this marketing?
11:28And so what advice would you give to young entrepreneurs or people looking for a job in your industry?
13:31Could you describe what a typical day at work looks like for you?

Host 0:09 ↗

We're going to start with the rapid fire. The first question is: at what age do you want to retire?

Frédéric Mazzella 0:14 ↗

I think never.

Host 0:16 ↗

How long does it take you to get ready in the mornings?

Frédéric Mazzella 0:20 ↗

It depends on what I have to do. Sometimes two minutes, sometimes... sorry.

Host 0:26 ↗

Most embarrassing moment of your life?

Frédéric Mazzella 0:29 ↗

Oh my God. Singing and playing the piano in public. I did that several times. I'm getting used to it, but it's still tough.

Host 0:40 ↗

Favorite color?

Frédéric Mazzella 0:42 ↗

Blue.

Host 0:45 ↗

What time of day are you most inspired?

Frédéric Mazzella 0:47 ↗

Midnight.

Host 0:49 ↗

How many hours of sleep can you survive on?

Frédéric Mazzella 0:53 ↗

I survive, I think I can survive with four, but I'd rather have seven.

Host 0:59 ↗

Fill in the blank: an upcoming technology trend is blank.

Frédéric Mazzella 1:05 ↗

Responsible marketing.

Host 1:10 ↗

The city in which the best kiss of your life happened?

Frédéric Mazzella 1:17 ↗

Paris.

Host 1:20 ↗

Pick one: Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg?

Frédéric Mazzella 1:23 ↗

It's too tough.

Host 1:28 ↗

The biggest mistake of your career?

Frédéric Mazzella 1:32 ↗

I think not starting earlier.

Host 1:33 ↗

And how do you relax?

Frédéric Mazzella 1:38 ↗

I sleep, I play music. I have time with friends.

Host 1:43 ↗

How many cups of coffee do you drink per day?

Frédéric Mazzella 1:45 ↗

Too much.

Host 1:51 ↗

A habit of yours that you hate?

Frédéric Mazzella 1:54 ↗

I'm always a bit late.

Host 1:57 ↗

The most valuable skill you've learned in life?

Frédéric Mazzella 2:01 ↗

Federate people and bring enthusiasm.

Host 2:08 ↗

Your favorite Netflix show?

Frédéric Mazzella 2:14 ↗

I don't watch that much. It changes every year.

Host 2:19 ↗

One word description of your leadership style?

Frédéric Mazzella 2:22 ↗

I don't know. You have to ask the people I'm working with.

Host 2:28 ↗

Top priority in your daily schedule?

33 more exchanges in this transcript

Cite this transcript

APA, MLA, BibTeX

APA

Mazzella, F. (2025, July 1). Episode 56- Metrics on the Move: BlaBlaCar's Co-founder Frédéric Mazzella on How to Measure Success [Interview transcript]. Technologist of the Month. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1054453/

MLA

Frédéric Mazzella. "Episode 56- Metrics on the Move: BlaBlaCar's Co-founder Frédéric Mazzella on How to Measure Success." Technologist of the Month, 1 Jul. 2025. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1054453/.

BibTeX

@misc{mazzella2025_1054453,
  author       = {Frédéric Mazzella},
  title        = {Episode 56- Metrics on the Move: BlaBlaCar's Co-founder Frédéric Mazzella on How to Measure Success},
  howpublished = {Interview transcript, Technologist of the Month. CEOInterviews.AI},
  year         = {2025},
  month        = {jul},
  url          = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1054453/},
  note         = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}

▶

Key Quotes (2)

“I think it's a necessity to think about decarbonizing our transports because we see that we should not add any CO2 in the atmosphere right now any carbon and so we have to rethink our Mobility because Mobility is really a source of carbon which is very important and we will not be able to move around for long as we do if we don't reinvent all the means of Transport that we're using today.”

▶ 6:41 POLICY

“You have to be obsessed with efficiency and the good news is and this is all the tech revolution of course the good news is is that that computers are very good at doing always the same things so everything you do twice the same thing you should ask yourself if a machine could not do it for you and then you'll stay in the creative Zone because you'll be different things every day because if you're”

▶ 12:56

More interviews with Frédéric Mazzella

Would you agree to be governed by an AI? - Frédéric Mazzella - Robot the First & BlaBlaCarOct 22, 2026 · FeuilleBlanche Média · 23 min
5 Years Without a Salary: The Real Story Behind BlaBlaCar | Frédéric Mazzella x Franck NicolasOct 11, 2026 · Franck Nicolas · 48 min
« J’ai pas pu me payer pendant 5 ans » : L’histoire derrière BlaBlaCarOct 01, 2026 · On n'est pas des mythos par Jean-Pierre Nadir · 95 min
Special broadcast: REF 2026: Frédéric Mazzella on the set of Esprit d'EntrepriseAug 31, 2026 · Le Figaro TV · 29 min
The incredible story of BlaBlaCar as told by its founder Frédéric MazzellaAug 30, 2026 · Who's Who in France · 20 min
[FR] Frédéric Mazzella : le rôle de l'entrepreneur est d'améliorer la sociétéJul 22, 2026 · Positive Leadership - Jean-Philippe Courtois · 91 min

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Also at BlaBlaCar SA (Comuto SA)

Nicolas BrussonCo-Founder & CEO

About Frédéric Mazzella

Frédéric Mazzella has been promoting several new projects, including the AI-powered platform Fred24, which he described as an "AI co-founder" that provides entrepreneurial advice based on his past interviews, writings, and other content. He reported that the platform had generated nearly one million conversations. He also released a serialized novel, *Robot 1er*, which explores the hypothetical scenario of an AI advising a French president; he stated that the 40-chapter work was written with the assistance of generative AI and is available free online. In interviews, he discussed using AI as a collaborative tool rather than a substitute for critical thinking, noting that while AI can suggest ideas and provide factual references, it is not equipped to choose between competing visions. Mazzella also reflected on the early years of BlaBlaCar, saying he went without a salary for five years and that the company tested six business models before finding success. He attributed his persistence partly to frugality, joking that his Italian origins allowed him to "eat pasta for ten years." He emphasized the importance of time management for entrepreneurs, arguing against manual repetition of tasks that could be automated. Discussing European tech policy at the REF 2026 event, he argued that European companies have not sufficiently purchased their own solutions and advocated for increased investment in domestic innovation. He also highlighted BlaBlaCar's environmental impact, citing his company's calculations that its services save over 4 million tonnes of CO2 annually.

All Frédéric Mazzella appearances → Technologist of the Month on YouTube →