DoorDash's CEO says he gets hundreds of emails weekly from customers and workers. They show it has work to do.
When asked Wednesday during DoorDash's earnings call about challenges facing the company, Xu pointed to the emails he gets daily from restaurants, gig workers, and customers.
Many of them point out areas where DoorDash is "falling short," Xu said.
"I get several hundred emails a week from all of our audiences, whether it's consumers, Dashers, or merchants," Xu said. "And I don't know if they think that our improvements are very impressive."
Xu said he received an email on Wednesday morning that complained that a DoorDash delivery driver had shown up to the wrong parking lot at an apartment building. "That caused a delay in delivery as well as a fear that perhaps the driver wasn't even going to show up," Xu said.
Xu said those kinds of issues highlight areas where the company needs to do better.
"Every day, I think, is a daily struggle, where the job is to try to make an improvement for that day," Xu said.
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While Xu said some see room for improvement, Wall Street seems generally pleased with DoorDash's growth. The company reported on Wednesday its second-quarter earnings, which largely beat analysts' expectations, and its revenue grew 25% year over year. The company has also been expanding with two acquisitions worth more than $1 billion this year: the UK delivery startup Deliveroo and the restaurant booking service SevenRooms.
Emails are one way that Xu has said he keeps track of what using DoorDash is like for the millions of people who use the delivery app.
Xu has previously said he has made DoorDash deliveries himself through WeDash, a program in which corporate employees work as Dashers — the company's lingo for delivery workers. This experience has led Xu and others to identify areas of improvement for DoorDash, such as fixing bugs in the app or improving the accuracy of wait times.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has also moonlighted as a ride-hailing driver and delivery worker for the app he helms. He was on the receiving end of "tip baiting," which is when a customer offers a driver a big tip upfront only to take it away after delivery.
David Risher, the CEO of Lyft, told Business Insider he also drives for the ride-hailing service about every six weeks.
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