When Shaq went undercover as a Lyft driver back in early June and surprised a bunch of people, he was able to do it because of the ridiculous outfits that he wore. We still have a hard time believing that no one recognized him when he showed up to give them a ride, but at the very least, he made it seem believable by using a bunch of different looks.
David Ortiz was asked to go undercover as a Lyft driver in Boston recently, and he didn’t try nearly as hard to disguise himself. He put on an Afro wig and a pair of sunglasses and away he went. But despite this, no one seemed to know who he was. He tried to give it away by talking about the Red Sox, bashing New Yorkers, and telling people about the time he took a selfie with President Obama. But…nothing. He even told one woman who mentioned that she has two Ortiz shirts that "all my shirts are his shirts," but she looked confused about what he was telling her until he took off his disguise and revealed who he was.
It’s pretty amazing to see how well this approach continues to work for Lyft. The company has now fooled passengers by using everyone from Danica Patrick and Richard Sherman to DJ Khaled and Demi Lovato as undercover drivers. So the next time you’re in a Lyft, you might want to take a second look at your driver. If he or she is wearing a wig or a crazy outfit, something is probably up.
