Introduction

Today, Peloton boasts over 6 million active members who can explore a vast range of workouts across 16 fitness modalities - available on Bike, Tread, Rower, and the Peloton App. Members can choose their favorite instructors, music, and non-instructed content for a fully personalized experience. With the recent launch of Peloton IQ cross training features this Fall, we have expanded our member Personalization features beyond only content recommendations, enabling our members to get a holistic view and guidance into their fitness journey using cutting-edge AI/ML technologies. One of the key features, Insights and Analysis, turns all member activities, both on and off-platform, into actionable insights for a more personalized and motivating journey by surfacing meaningful trends in performance, recovery, and consistency that align with their fitness goals. The feature also guides them on what to do next. Figure 1 shows current choices of fitness goals and example insights on the Member Profile and Homescreen pages. 

Insights on fitness platforms

The fitness technology space is already replete with various AI generated “Insights” features that leverage data (primarily health metrics from wearables) to provide users with great summaries. For instance, Strava's Athlete Intelligence provides users with performance trends, milestone celebration and feedback. Similarly, Apple Health aggregates data from various sources and applications to provide a comprehensive view of a user's health metrics and trends, while Garmin Connect+ provides motivating personalized insights and suggestions throughout the day based on activity data. All in all, modern fitness platforms underscore a broader industry trend toward turning raw activity data into actionable and personalized guidance. 

Insights on Peloton IQ

Peloton is in a unique position to not only provide these data-driven insights, but also supplement them with concrete action suggestions, for instance, taking classes that align with their fitness goals and preferences (class recommendations), or making adjustments to their Weekly Plans, and many more. Figure 2 shows another view of Insights with class recommendations (horizontally scrollable on Bike Homescreen). 

These action suggestions aren’t just tied to the Peloton platform - they can include data from third parties (e.g., Apple Health and Garmin, upon member consent) and suggest off-platform activities, such as increasing distance on running or various recovery activities. 

 “Consistent rest is powerful - schedule a recovery day each week with gentle stretching or foam rolling to aid muscle repair and boost gains.”

Moreover, Peloton IQ has introduced Strength workout tracking features with new Bike+, Tread+ and Row+ hardware that come equipped with an enhanced camera and Computer Vision technology. Telemetry data from the strength workouts such as Rep Counting and Form Feedback add a new dimension and lay the foundation for true cross training guidance for Peloton members. Leveraging these metrics, insights can guide the members by reminding them when to level up (reps and weights) or stay consistent. Here’s an example insight that leverages strength data from telemetry.  

“You've been chest pressing 25 lb dumbbells recently. Try adding 2 reps or increasing weight by 5 lbs next week to tap into progressive overload.”

Generating Insights and Actions

With Insights, Peloton aims to bridge the gap between simple activity tracking and true behavioral change, driving deeper engagement across all our fitness modalities. To drive this vision, we’ve built an Insights Generator Engine that leverages a solid data infrastructure to glean member contexts, and makes use of AI in order to generate Peloton Insights. 

At the data infrastructure layer, the system ingests and processes a wide array of data streams, including all on-platform activities, off-platform (3P) metrics, and the novel telemetry data from  strength tracking features. Example Peloton workout metrics include but are not limited to, distance, output, power, heart rate zones and power zones. It also includes modality specific metrics, such as, cadence and resistance for cycling, and incline, pace, speed for running, and many more. Other information, such as the user’s weekly plan, activity targets and their fitness goal are also fed as the contexts to the Insights Generator engine.

Once Insights Generator receives all contexts, it arranges the history, metrics and other metadata along with a long set of instructions for a LLM (Large Language Model) to generate various types of Insights (Tips, Performance, Suggested Targets, Your Plan). For generating Action Suggestions, the LLM returns specific class Filters and Modification Operation, which are further translated into concrete actions by leveraging other services, such as the Class Recommender and the Weekly Plan Generator system, as shown in Figure 3.

Action Suggestions

Unlike celebratory and milestone insights which focus on past achievements, Action Suggestions from IQ Insights are forward-looking. By synthesizing a comprehensive picture of a member's fitness journey, Peloton insights move beyond simple summaries to generate highly personalized actions that align with individual fitness goals and promote progression  and consistent recovery. The key categories of action suggestions currently powered by Peloton IQ are the following.

Browse Classes and Class Recommendations

These suggestions provide members with specific Peloton classes that align with their preferences and activity history. Consistent with the Insights text (e.g., "increase cardio endurance" or "build lower body strength"), the LLM translates the desired action into specific class Filters (e.g. fitness modality, instructor, class duration). The Insights Generator Engine then creates a candidate set of classes using these filters, and feeds them into the Class Recommender service, which returns highly relevant, personalized class suggestions.

Activity Targets and Plan Modifications

Insights shine in helping Peloton members to track progress toward their Weekly Activity Target (Active Days, Active Time and Workouts) and Weekly Workout Plan, promoting consistency and progressive training. For example, the insight might suggest - "You’ve consistently hit 3 workouts a week, let’s modify the target to 4 days.", with an in-place “Update Target” button. 

Similarly, if a member is enrolled in a Personalized Plan, the insight may suggest - "Swap Thursday’s recovery day for a 20-min Yoga Flow to bring mobility and balance to your plan." , as well as returning Insights Generator engine the associated Modification Operation to apply to the current member Plan. Once the member chooses to tap on the “Update Plan” button, the Operation would be executed by the Weekly Plan Generator system, updating the member's personalized plan to reflect the new, challenging, yet attainable target for the following week. 

Education and Contextual Tips

Action suggestions often come bundled with educational context (More Info) to help members understand the why behind the suggestion, promoting fitness literacy and long-term behavioral change. For example, a tip might explain the principle of "progressive overload" when suggesting an increase in weight, or the importance of "active recovery" when recommending a gentle stretching class.

Results

Before we launched this feature, we conducted multiple A/B tests over several months with a small group of field testers. During the tests, the insights were generated using multiple LLMs and the testers rated them on criteria, such as Personalization, Motivation and Relevance. A majority of the respondents gave positive ratings across most of the criteria. Some negative feedback was primarily from members who were either skeptical of AI or did not realize that they could connect their third-party workout data to give the system a full picture of their workout routine. We made our final choice of the model that strikes the right balance between cost and quality. 

Additionally, we established an offline evaluation framework utilizing an LLM-as-a-judge approach to assess the quality of the insights. Insights were scored from 0-1.0 based on the following key criteria: Factuality, Personalization, Actionability, Insightfulness, Safety, Tone, and Toxicity. Figure 5 shows an illustration of LLM judging on an insight. To eliminate any bias, the model used for judging is different from the model used for generating insights. We are working toward incorporating both human feedback and LLM scores to further improve the quality of Insights. 

After the launch, the Insights and Analysis feature was very well received by the Peloton members. Profile Insights, which are deep in nature, have seen a whopping 90% positive rating! Since the launch of this feature, we also have observed around a 10% increase in profile page views (month over month) among our members across platforms.

Conclusion

The introduction of Peloton IQ's Insights and Analysis marks a significant leap in our Personalization mission to move beyond content recommendations toward providing holistic, personalized fitness guidance. By leveraging cutting-edge AI/ML, rich member data, and a robust Insights Generator Engine, we are successfully translating member activity into actionable insights that promote progressive overload, consistent recovery, and meaningful engagement across all fitness modalities.

Future work

Based on member feedback, we are working toward enhancing the instructions and contexts that support our existing Insights, as well as expanding to new types of insights. We want to ensure that the insights and action suggestions lead directly to a tangible and quantifiable progress toward members’ fitness goals. We are also working toward incorporating new information into insights and a continuous quality improvement.

Our current system Insights generation is a combination of batch and real-time processes. The batch generation of Insights, a decision influenced by high LLM inference latency, limits our ability to modify the Insights immediately after a workout is completed (e.g., providing post class insights). We are keen on bridging the gap in order to support real time generation of Insights.

Acknowledgement

We have been fortunate to build this feature together with a very talented team at Peloton. Our Product, Design, Research and Engineering teams have put a great effort into bringing this to life! We specially thank Emily Kane, Tanya Lerma, Crystal Qin, Aditya Batheja, Mohit Jeste, Alberto Villafane, Santhosh Thammana, Greg Johnsen and Saif Khan among many others who navigated through various design and engineering challenges and launched this Peloton IQ feature.

From September 15 to October 15, Peloton proudly celebrated Latin Hispanic Heritage Month (LHHM) under the theme “Juntos Y Unidos” (Together & United)—a message that honored the power of community, culture, and resilience during challenging times.

Led by our Latinx/Hispanics in Tech (LHIT) Employee Resource Group, this year’s programming reflected our ongoing commitment to building a workplace rooted in belonging and purpose. Through a mix of in-person gatherings, platform content, and community impact efforts, we united around what matters most—connection, culture, and action.

Kicking Things Off with Community

We launched the month with a rooftop celebration at Avenida in NYC, bringing together team members for music, food, and shared cultural pride. It was a joyful reminder of how vibrant and connected our community is.

Giving Back with Mixteca

In partnership with Mixteca, a nonprofit supporting immigrant families in New York, we organized a winter jacket donation drive. Our goal: 50 new jackets to help families prepare for colder months. Through an Amazon Wishlist campaign, Peloton team members stepped up—demonstrating the power of collective action and care.

Gloria Estefan x Peloton Music: Voces Eternas

One of the highlights of the month was a powerful collaboration between LHIT and Peloton Music: a live conversation and album listening session with the legendary Gloria Estefan. Joined by Peloton instructor Camila Ramón, Gloria reflected on her new album Raíces and shared stories of heritage, identity, and her decades-long journey as the Queen of Latin Pop. It was an unforgettable evening of music and meaning.

El Clúb Book Talk with Angie Cruz

In another cultural moment, we hosted Dominican-American author Angie Cruz, who joined us to discuss her novel How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water. The hybrid event—both in-person and virtual—invited team members into a deep conversation about identity, migration, and navigating life’s transitions.

Celebrating Through Movement

LHHM came to life on the Peloton platform, too. We introduced new music-driven classes and collections celebrating Latinx and Hispanic culture:

• Vibras Alternativas – spotlighting alternative Latin sounds

• Baile Intenso – dance-inspired, high-energy movement

• Voces Eternas – honoring timeless Latin artists and their stories

Live and on-demand classes gave Members and team members alike the opportunity to move with intention. With the #PeLatinos tag, our global community came together on the Leaderboard—celebrating heritage through sweat and sound.

Together & United—All Year Long

While Latin Hispanic Heritage Month is just 30 days, our commitment to celebrating Latinx and Hispanic voices is ongoing. From ERG programming to community partnerships, cultural conversations, and platform representation, we’re constantly working to create an inclusive environment where everyone can see themselves—and thrive.

Join a team where innovation thrives and people celebrate each other every step of the way. Explore our open roles here.

At Peloton, we believe our strength comes from working together. Every new opening reflects that spirit of collaboration and community and our recent Nashville micro-store launch is a perfect example.

Micro-stores are a fresh approach to retail for Peloton: a smaller footprint, a curated Member experience, and a new way for our community to connect with the brand. Nashville is among the first of these locations to open, and the excitement around its launch reflects the power of collaboration across teams.

The Power of Cross-Functional Collaboration

Opening a new space doesn’t happen overnight. It takes coordination across real estate, operations, retail leadership, marketing, and beyond. From securing the right space to setting up the experience to preparing the local team, dozens of hands came together to make Nashville a success.

"We made the decision to re-enter the Nashville marketplace because of the strength of our Member community. As we’ve shifted into the next era of retail—MicroStores—we knew that Nashville was the perfect place to start. So many teams within Peloton were involved and it was inspiring to see it come together. From just a big idea all the way to opening day, it was a labor of love. And the best part was that we started with a strong store leader that relocated to a new state to be a part of this new journey in retail at Peloton. Nashville is more than just another store; it’s a new concept that has laid the foundation for the future of our retail experience." 

-Ed Helms, Senior Director of Sales

Spotlight on the Nashville Team

The heart of every Peloton team is its people. The Nashville micro-store team welcomed Members with energy, warmth, and a genuine passion for our mission from day one. Their ability to collaborate, support one another, and create meaningful connections with every visitor is what makes this launch so special.

“I cannot speak highly enough about the results our Nashville team was able to create. With just a few weeks of training under their belt, they were able to engage members authentically, take necessary risks and truly lean into what it means to be a part of a community. We learned together, took the time to get it right and prioritized member experience over all. Proud doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

-Philip Culton, Showroom Manager

"I really enjoy being part of the Peloton Team and community. It's been an uplifting and motivating space. Swapping favorite classes and workouts with other members who stop by the store is always fun, and I love how everyone supports each other on their fitness journeys."

-Rachel Elliott, Peloton Expert

Looking Ahead

The Nashville launch is just the beginning. As we expand our micro-store presence, each new opening will be an opportunity to learn, grow, and strengthen how we serve Members. What remains constant is the teamwork behind the scenes and the passion of our retail teams on the floor.

Together, we’re building the future of Peloton retail—one store, one team, and one community at a time.

Interested in a career at Peloton? Visit careers.onepeloton.com to learn more. 

Our 8th hackathon, and fourth annual week-long event, has concluded! This yearly tradition unlocks the creativity and innovative spirit of our global team. It provides an opportunity for team members to collaborate, brainstorm, and develop products or features that could one day benefit our Members. Many popular Peloton features originated from or were inspired by hackathon projects, including Auto-Resistance, 3rd Party Treadmill Metrics, target metrics for Members during rides, the Peloton Guide, QR Code Log-in feature, and the Peloton Android Widget.

This year's hackathon brought together 220 hackers from various teams including Product, Emerging Business, Engineering, Legal, and Instructors from our global team, resulting in 49 completed projects. A significant focus was placed on Artificial Intelligence, both in the new features implemented and the development tools used. Many participants expanded their skill sets, working outside their core job functions. The week was filled with contagious excitement, as competing teams and organizational boundaries blurred, fostering collaboration to achieve optimal outcomes.

The hackathon provides a platform for creativity, re-engagement, and learning, and we've found that a bit of friendly competition enhances the experience. Teams had three and a half days to develop their projects, with some even working through the night. The projects were then showcased in a science fair-style expo, open to the entire company, with judges evaluating entries across various categories and for overall excellence.

The top three projects from the expo overall judging round and two judge selections then proceed to a shark tank style session where those teams pitch and demo their hacks and fielded questions from a mix of the Lead Team and some delegates. 

While it is fun to see what comes out on top of the friendly competition, the most exciting part is seeing how energized the team leaves and what ends up in the hands of our millions of Peloton members. 

What our team members had to say:

• “This was my first Hackathon and I absolutely loved it! Hackathon highlighted how energizing it is to collaborate with new teammates and learn from fresh perspectives. Getting to share my passion for our project at the expo with colleagues across different groups was incredibly inspiring. Taking a break from daily tasks to focus and innovate was a treat, and left me feeling excited and motivated to be part of Team Peloton.” Beth Wendt- Sr Manager, User Research
• “Hackathon was probably my favorite work week all year. On a typical work day I'm getting pulled in multiple directions, but during a hackathon you get to focus intensely on just one thing. And it's something that you are intensely passionate about. Multiplied across 50 projects and 100s of participants, the energy at the Expo was palpable and very inspiring.” David Barr - NetSuite Engineer
• "The best part was diving into new AI tech and actually building something real from the ground up. When you're genuinely excited about solving a problem, the whole process just flows - from figuring out the architecture to collaborating with teammates to finally showing it off. There's something really satisfying about owning the entire journey and seeing people get it when you demo what you've built." Niraj Vora - Sr. SRE
• “Hackathon week was a nice shift from the usual routine, giving me the chance to explore ideas outside of my day-to-day work and collaborate with different teammates. It was a refreshing change of pace that left me feeling re-focused. I enjoyed having the freedom to think creatively and try something new.” Bhavika Teli - Android Engineer

At Peloton, we believe Pride isn’t just a celebration—it’s a commitment. A commitment to honoring the culture, contributions, and resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community. A commitment to showing up with joy, purpose, and unity. This year, under the theme Proudly Together, we are celebrating the power of community and collective strength—both on and off the platform.

From vibrant events and performances to educational sessions and employee stories, our Pride Month programming reflects what makes Peloton special: our people. Whether you’re a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or an ally, Pride at Peloton is about creating space for everyone to be seen, heard, and valued.

Voices that Inspire: Frankie Grande x Peloton

One of the most anticipated moments of Pride Month is our exclusive listening party and fireside chat with performer and advocate Frankie Grande, co-hosted by Instructor Matty Maggiacomo.

Frankie will debut his new album, Hotel Rock Bottom—an honest, high-energy exploration of his journey through sobriety, identity, and self-love. More than just a musical moment, it’s a powerful example of how art, healing, and community intersect.

Community in Motion

We're hitting the pavement with purpose at the NYC Pride Run, in partnership with Front Runners New York—the world’s largest LGBTQIA+ running club. It’s more than a race. It’s a celebration of visibility, movement, and solidarity.

Whether you're cheering from the sidelines or running shoulder-to-shoulder, this is a chance to come together—Proudly Together.

“We move as one. Wherever we are, we stand for each other and those around us. We create family, belonging, and love—and we don’t back down when it matters most.”
- Jermaine Parra (He/Him), Member Support Agent

From volunteering at the Dallas Pride Festival, to marching in the NYC Pride Parade with the Ali Forney Center, to hosting joyful celebrations in Plano and London, we’re showing up in cities around the world with open hearts and proud steps.

Allyship in Action

True allyship is more than support—it’s advocacy, accountability, and action. It's using your voice when others can't. It's listening deeply. It's standing up even when it’s hard.

“Allyship for the LGBTQIA+ community is an active, ongoing commitment rooted in unconditional love and acceptance. It means creating safe spaces, speaking out against prejudice, and dismantling systemic inequalities.”
- Matthew Ellis (He/Him), Legal

“It’s being a voice in the room for someone when they’re not there.”
- Robby Kempton (She/Her), Sr. Manager, Talent Acquisition

“I show up as an ally with joy, friendship, and an always-open mind and heart. Be a friend in celebration—and a thoughtful partner in deeper conversations.”
- Shannon Eis (She/Her), Director, Internal Comms

This Pride Month, we invite everyone to lean into love, show up with intention, and champion inclusion.

Support that Matters

Pride is also about wellness—mental, emotional, and physical. Peloton is proud to provide holistic support for LGBTQIA+ team members year-round through:

• Modern Health for therapy, coaching, and self-guided mental health resources.
• Carrot Benefits, including fertility, gender-affirming care, HRT, and family planning support.
• Global Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) like Pride@Peloton, Transgender & Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) Affinity Group, and UK Pride Inclusion Forum for community connection and open dialogue.

“Remaining true to yourself is always the key. If you suppress your identity, eventually you burn out. Embrace who you are—that’s where the power is.”
- Dakota Grindele (He/Him), Member Support Agent

Celebration, Connection, and Joy

Pride at Peloton is a celebration of joy—in movement, in food, in conversation. Highlights this year include:

• Social Hour with L’Oréal 
• Almuerzo Sabroso Latin Potluck, sponsored by the TGNC Affinity Group 
• Charity Bake Sale for London Friend 
• Pride-Themed Run Clubs 
• Drag Quiz with Le Fil (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK) 

And of course, our Pride Class Collection is live across all modalities. Ride, run, row, and flow to playlists filled with queer icons like Britney Spears and Cyndi Lauper. Check our Pride Collection HERE and be sure to use the tag #pelotonpride.

Be Proudly Together

Pride Month is an invitation to show up as your true self—and to celebrate others doing the same. Whether you’re part of the LGBTQIA+ community or a proud ally, your voice matters. Your presence matters.

“What I love most about our community is the love we give, the family we build, and our relentless will to stand up for one another.”
- Jermaine Parra (He/Him), MSA

At Peloton, we believe that true strength starts from within — and that means prioritizing mental health and well-being as much as physical fitness. As we celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, we want to highlight how Peloton supports our team members, fosters an inclusive environment, and empowers everyone to thrive both at work and in life.

Why Mental Health Matters at Peloton

Well-being is not just a buzzword at Peloton; it’s a core value embedded into our culture. We understand that happiness and mental health directly impact creativity, productivity, and overall quality of life. That’s why we invest deeply in programs, resources, and policies that help our employees bring their best selves to work every day.

This year, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Peloton took a meaningful step by giving every employee a dedicated wellness day — a chance to pause, recharge, and focus on their mental and emotional health. Because at Peloton, your happiness truly matters.

Thrive: Our Employee Resource Group Championing Mental Health

One of the driving forces behind our mental health initiatives is our Thrive Employee Resource Group (ERG). Thrive is more than just a support community — it’s a space where education, advocacy, and empowerment come together to create a more inclusive and understanding workplace.

Charlotte Janes, Co-Lead of Thrive UK, shares, “Myself and my Thrive UK TMLG co-lead, through our personal experiences of disability, neurodiversity and mental health, aim to lend our perspective and experience to better the work environment for current and future team members. This includes bringing awareness to different types of neurodiversity and disabilities through education and resources on Slack, sourcing (and in the works/soon to be launched) Mental Health First Aider and Neurodiversity for Managers training.”

Their efforts are paving the way for stronger support systems and enhanced mental health literacy across Peloton.

Engaging Events to Support Mind and Body

Throughout May, Thrive hosts a variety of events designed to nurture both mental and physical well-being. One highlight is the Mind-Body Panel, where experts and team members came together to explore the important connection between mental health and physical wellness. Thrive also hosted Wellness Fairs in our Plano and NYC locations to offer a comprehensive showcase of resources, tools, and practical tips to support holistic health.

In addition, Peloton team members in Plano and NYC participated in the NAMI Walk, a meaningful event organized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness to raise awareness and support mental health causes. To make self-care fun and accessible, Thrive also promotes the “31 Ways to Wellness” bingo challenge, encouraging employees to engage in daily small acts of mindfulness and well-being throughout the month.

“Showing up for our team members during Mental Health Awareness Month is especially important to Thrive’s mission. Our goal is to show-up in many places throughout the month and actively contribute to a workplace culture that truly values mental well-being, ensuring support is visible and accessible for all,” says Kath McDonald, Co-Lead of Thrive.

Looking Forward

At Peloton, we’re constantly evolving our approach to well-being to ensure every employee feels seen, supported, and empowered. Whether you’re a candidate considering joining our team, a new hire settling in, or a long-time Pelotonian, know that your mental health and happiness are a priority here.

We’re proud to build a community where everyone can thrive — mind, body, and spirit. Together, let’s continue to champion mental health awareness and create a workplace where well-being comes first. To view open jobs, click here. 

Ready to be part of a team that values your whole self? Visit our career site to explore current opportunities and start your journey with Peloton today.

We know movement has the power to transform lives in countless ways—not just physically, but emotionally and socially as well. For Alia, Senior Director of ESG, Social Impact, this philosophy aligns deeply with her personal values and sense of purpose. As we celebrate being named to Forbes’ 2025 Best Brands for Social Impact list, a recognition of our commitment to values, trust, social responsibility, and community support, we’re excited to share Alia’s inspiring journey. Her story of finding her place at Peloton, staying in motion, and contributing to a mission greater than herself is a testament to the impact we can make when we move together.

A Connection to Peloton Before the Job

Like many at Peloton, Alia’s journey with the brand began long before she joined the team. In 2019, she and her husband brought home a Peloton Bike, and Alia quickly dove into all the content the platform had to offer: family fitness, yoga, dance cardio, scenic rides, outdoor runs, and more.

“I remember being so excited in 2020 when the Beyoncé Artist Series dropped, alongside an investment in HBCUs,” Alia, a Spelman College alumna, recalls. “I felt like the brand was really speaking to me!” It wasn’t just the music or the workouts that resonated with her—it was the company’s purpose. Reading the Peloton Pledge in the summer of 2020 solidified her admiration. “I felt it was strategic, ambitious, and thoughtful,” she shares. “When the opportunity arose to build out the company's social impact work in line with that pledge, I didn’t think twice.”

Aligning Personal and Professional Purpose

Alia’s drive to shape the world around her stems from a vision she’s had for years—a world that is inclusive, just, and gives everyone the chance to reach their full potential. “I want that world for my kids, and for all of us,” she says. Working at Peloton allows her to take a hands-on approach in realizing this vision. “I feel lucky to be working toward that world at a purpose-driven place like Peloton,” she adds.

Her role as Senior Director of ESG, Social Impact allows her to drive the company’s social impact work, ensuring cohesion and focus on Peloton’s approach to advancing fitness and wellness for all in partnership with leading nonprofit organizations. By stewarding Peloton’s global portfolio of nonprofit partners, leading dozens of events and activations each year, and partnering with teams across the business, she works to ensure that Peloton’s efforts to expand access to wellbeing are rooted in the value of lifting up others. “It feels good to come to work each day and know that the initiatives I steward – and all of our work at Peloton – has a positive social impact,” Alia says. “My personal sense of purpose and Peloton’s purpose mutually reinforce each other and I believe in the company’s power to change lives for the better.”

Core Values in Action

Alia’s core values—courage, kindness, perseverance, and achievement—are at the heart of her work at Peloton. “It’s a gift to get to express these values every day through my work,” she says. 

Our team embodies these values, leveraging them to propel our social impact strategy forward. One of Alia’s most memorable moments of witnessing these values in action was her first visit to one of our core Wellbeing for Life partners, WHEDco. There, the fitness equipment donated to the Bronx Commons had a tangible, positive impact on the community.

Another unforgettable moment was the GirlTREK walk in New Orleans in 2022. Alia recalls, “I still remember the incredible energy as our instructors, Peloton team, and GirlTREK members came together. To then watch that initial spark grow into the much larger walk we organized alongside the NBA this past February—reaching an even broader audience—was a powerful testament to the expanding reach of our partnerships and the progress we’ve made together.” These moments continually remind Alia of the profound impact Peloton can have, from grassroots initiatives to expansive collaborations.

Staying in Motion: Parenthood and Fitness

For Alia, staying in motion extends beyond work and into her role as a mother. With a busy schedule, she’s learned to embrace the constant changes of daily life. “Parenthood keeps you on your toes, and life never looks the same from one moment to the next,” she says. 

As for fitness, Alia’s journey took a detour when she suffered a hip injury in 2021, but she found inspiration from her instructor colleagues, like Kirsten and Marcel, who also battled injuries and came back stronger.

“Seeing them persevere motivated me,” she shares. After years of recovery, she’s now training for a 5K. “It’s amazing to be able to run again,” she says, “but sometimes my body needs sleep more than a workout, and that’s okay too." Her commitment to fitness and balance is also reflected in small practices like a brief meditation on her commute, helping her start her day with intention and positivity.

Purpose and Impact at Peloton

“It’s not lost on me that we are living through a season of permacrisis—broken societal trust, widespread loneliness, division, and apathy. The weight of these challenges erodes our collective capacity for well-being, disproportionately affecting those who are most marginalized. I desperately want a better world—for the one we live in now, and the one our children will inherit. I dream of a world where we are all well. We each deserve that world.” This vision fuels Alia’s passion for the work ahead.

Alia’s journey at Peloton perfectly embodies how our team members find deep purpose in what they do. By aligning her personal values with Peloton’s mission, Alia has shaped our social impact initiatives while also finding ways to stay in motion, both personally and professionally. As we continue to expand our impact, Alia’s story serves as a powerful reminder of the profound change we can create when we remain connected to our purpose—and to each other.

Want to join a team of passionate individuals like Alia, whose commitment to making a positive difference drives us forward every day? Explore our open roles here.

At Peloton, we believe it's important to prioritize environmentally friendly practices year-round, not just on Earth Day. One of the most impactful ways we live that commitment is through our refurbished Bike/+ program, which gives new life to pre-owned Peloton Bikes and Bike+, reducing waste and extending the life of our products. Behind every refurbished piece of equipment is a team of dedicated individuals who care deeply about quality, sustainability, and purpose. Today, we're spotlighting one of those team members, Adi Trifaley, whose hands-on work on our refurbished products is making a real difference—one unit, one repair, and one ride at a time.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Peloton?

A: I am a Manufacturing Quality Engineer, responsible for ensuring the product quality of our refurbishment process. I work closely with cross-functional teams to identify and resolve issues, implement quality control systems, and drive continuous improvement. Outside of work I focus on constantly learning new industry trends and techniques that help enhance quality and manufacturing efficiency.

Q: How did you get into working with refurbished equipment? What drew you to this line of work?

A: As an engineer, I have always been passionate about making  equipment perform at its best, no matter its age. The opportunity to work on refurbished equipment allows me to combine this passion while also focusing on sustainability. It's rewarding to know that I am contributing to a more cost-effective and environmentally conscious way of doing business, all while maintaining high-quality standards.

Q: What makes you proud to work on the refurb line? 

A: It makes me proud to see the direct impact the refurb line has on reducing waste, providing a more financially accessible product option for our members, and supporting sustainability in a meaningful way. 

An environmental benefit I’m especially proud of is  the way we have improved practices around harvesting parts that are in working condition and meet our rigorous quality standards - by doing so we are able to reuse the majority of our existing components rather than shipping in new ones which helps with lowering the carbon footprint of each refurbished Bike/+. Additionally, we have worked hard to implement more efficient processes such as minimizing power usage on the refurbishment line and reusing and recycling cardboard and other similar consumables, which helps reduce waste throughout the process.

Q: Do you have any advice for people looking to reduce their environmental impact, either at work or at home?

A: Focus on reducing waste through re-using, recycling, and purchasing products that are  local and  in-season to reduce transportation emissions. Small changes like using reusable containers/bags, using energy efficient appliances, and supporting eco-friendly products can make a big difference over time. At work, look for ways to optimize energy use and implement processes that extend the life of materials and use resources efficiently.

Want to join the team making a real difference in sustainability and quality? Explore opportunities on our careers page and see how you can be part of Peloton’s mission to create a greener, more connected future.

At Peloton, we believe that when we work together, we can achieve more than we ever could alone. One of the core elements of our success is the power of community and the strength that comes from collective effort. This isn’t just a sentiment we share with our members; it’s a principle that guides our culture and internal practices.

This Women’s History Month, we’re taking time to reflect on how, as a company, we uplift and support the women in our workforce, highlighted through several events hosted by our Women’s Alliance Team Member Led Group (TMLG). 

Elevating Wellness: A Conversation for Women at Peloton

As part of our focus on wellness, this Women’s History Month, Peloton hosted impactful events and discussions to help women thrive—both in the workplace and in their personal lives. One of the highlights was our "Elevate & Empower: A Women's Panel on Workplace Wellness," where leaders from Peloton and other renowned organizations like Lululemon, Microsoft, L’Oreal, Lyft, and TEKsystems came together to share insights about navigating the professional world as a woman, and balancing workplace and personal wellness.

This inspiring panel provided a unique networking opportunity and sparked meaningful dialogue about what it truly means to thrive as a woman at work. It was a chance for employees from all represented organizations to connect, learn from one another, and explore how to elevate and empower ourselves and those around us.

Supporting Women’s Health and Well-being

In addition to providing spaces for open discussion, Peloton is dedicated to supporting the well-being of women through our robust benefits and wellness programs. We understand that supporting fertility, family building, and hormonal health is an essential aspect of supporting women throughout their careers. During the month, we also partnered with Carrot to offer a specialized fertility health webinar. The "Meet Your Carrot Benefit" session provided valuable information and resources for employees navigating significant life events.

Mental Health Matters: Supporting Women’s Mental Wellness

Mental health is just as vital as physical health, and this month, we’ve placed a strong emphasis on supporting women’s mental well-being. Our Women’s Alliance TMLG, in collaboration with our Thrive TMLG, hosted the "Listen & Learn: Supporting Women’s Mental Health" session, presented in partnership with Modern Health. This session focused on the unique mental health challenges women face, including those shaped by neurodiversity and intersecting identities. 

Participants walked away with strategies to support women's mental health in and outside of the workplace—whether they are an ally or seeking support for themselves. 

A Culture of Wellness and Belonging

We hosted a variety of other enriching events, including a special Women’s History Month edition of the Peloton Run Club in the UK, a fireside chat with Jessica Taylor, CEO of Ezra Coffee, and a panel on workplace wellness featuring women leaders from diverse organizations. Additionally, we facilitated an "Ask Me Anything" session with CMO Lauren Weinberg, focused on balancing career success and parenthood, as well as a Women’s History Month-themed book club in the UK. Our celebration also featured a vibrant Holi event with a Mandala Art workshop.

These initiatives blended professional development, personal growth, and community connection, offering valuable insights and opportunities for all. Whether through tailored benefits that support women’s health or creating inclusive spaces for dialogue and growth, we remain committed to enhancing the well-being of our team.

Interested in learning more about our open roles and how you can make an impact? Visit our careers page to explore the opportunities. Let’s continue to elevate and empower, together.

At Peloton, there are two major avenues for Members to find their workout classes: the on-demand library and the home screen. The on-demand library is a catalog view of all classes available on the Peloton ecosystem, and users can apply various filters and sorting or perform a free-form text search to find classes. The home screen, much like in other content-streaming services, is the first screen that Members see upon logging in and serves as the gateway to the Peloton experience. Over the last few years, the variety of our platform’s classes has grown significantly. We now boast a total of 53K instructor-led classes, 120+ class types, 50+ instructors, and 10+ fitness disciplines. With such diversity, it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming for users to navigate through all the offerings.

This is why, since its inception, the Personalization team has been focused on providing our users with the best possible home screen recommendations.

We have gone through a multi-stage journey with the goal of providing the best recommendations to our users and enhancing their fitness experience. We began in 2022 with our earliest recommendation model LSTMNet. This model used the power of sequential modeling using our members’ workout history to get a sense of their progression over time. We then improved on LSTMnet by using Contextually Aware Recommender Systems (CARS). With CARS we improved our home screen recommendations with contextual features like the amount of time the user has to work out, the instructors and class types a user gravitates towards, and the recent fitness state of the user.

However, the CARS model had some shortcomings:

1. The training data did not include visibility into what members saw in their recommendations. It only had visibility into their workouts. This was a problem because if the model kept recommending the same class every day and the member kept ignoring it every day, the model would never know the implicit negative feedback. 
2. When we moved from LSTMNet to CARS, we gained the ability to use complex features in the model which led to improvements, but at the same time lost a nice framework for making the model understand the sequential nature of historical workouts. A model architecture that can do both should ideally perform better.
3. Finally, the framework used to train our models has a myopic view of the world. The model is provided with labeled training data from a certain period and it is tasked to understand them as well as it can. It does not remember what happened before nor does it persist an understanding of user behavior that can help reduce uncertainty in the future. 

Addressing all of the shortcomings listed above requires solving a multitude of ML and engineering problems with interdependencies which can get complicated quickly. It is useful, in such cases, to organize the work around a firm central framework. We chose a contextual bandit based on an online learner to provide that central statistical pinning. We chose a contextual bandit framework because it allows us to understand how the context - such as the user and class data at a specific point in time - influences the model’s selection of recommendations (the actions) and how these actions translate into the rewards received. To bring back the ability of the model to understand the sequential nature of workouts, we decided to use a transformer model. Basing this model on an online learning technique helped us mitigate our restriction of being limited to a fixed window of training data and be able to maintain a long-term understanding of user behavior.

Use of impressions to generate training data

I_u,c,t > User u sees Class c at Time t on the home screen

Also, a workout W is defined as the point in time when User u completes Class c.

W_u,c,t > User u completes Class c at Time t

Completing a workout or taking a class is a strong positive implicit signal that a user enjoys that class. Not taking a workout shown on the home screen is also a negative implicit signal the user is not interested in that class. As mentioned above, CARS didn’t have visibility into what the members saw in their recommendations which means CARS did not receive any implicit negative signals from what the user saw but did not like. To solve this problem we decided to incorporate impressions into model training. Using events fired from the home screen we were able to identify the classes a user saw on the home screen. Then corroborating the impressions to the workouts done by a user we were able to gain signals from the user on whether a class should be labeled as a positive sample or a negative sample.

Mathematically, this can be represented as:

(I_u,t ⋂  W_u,t)  ∪  (W_u,t-(I_u,t ⋂  W_u,t)) = P_u

I_u,t - (I_u,t ⋂  W_u,t) = N_u 

Where 

u = User

t = point in time 

I_u,t are the impressions seen by User u at Time t

W_u,t are the classes taken by the User u at Time t

P_u  are the positive samples we obtain for User u. These are the set of classes that the user saw on the home screen and converted to a workout or any classes the user completed even if they were not recommended on the home screen (directly from Search or from On Demand Library).

N_u are the negative samples we obtain for User u. These are the set of classes that the user saw on the home screen but did not convert to a workout.

This shift in how we generated our negative samples compared to random negative sampling used previously helped massively improve the way the model learns.

Workout history

The second problem we mentioned above was how CARS lost the ability to understand the sequential nature of historical workouts when we shifted the modeling framework from LSTMNet to CARS. 

The Personalization team has invested in a feature store that enables us to compute new types of dynamic (time-dependent) features. The best way to use these features in a model is to contextualize them in the sequence of historical workouts. We call this feature the user workout history. The intuition behind using the workout history is to get a sense of how the model would rank a class based on the user’s past workouts. 

Taking an example, we see a user's workout history with an affinity for Yoga, Strength, and Cycling. The user takes 10-minute yoga and 30 or 45-minute Strength and Cycling classes. We also see the user likes certain instructors, like Alex Toussaint, Adrian Williams, and Aditi Shah. We also see that the user likes to alternate between Strength and Cycling while also taking a Yoga class to relax intermittently. The question we want the model to answer is, given this workout history, what is the probability of the user taking a 20-minute Strength class by Olivia Amato next? 

To build this intuition into our model we needed to embed the workout history into something an ML model can understand. A transformer model is a neural network architecture designed to process sequential data using a self-attention mechanism, which captures contextual relationships between elements in a sequence. This is why we decided to use a transformer to encode the workout history and use the output embeddings when ranking a class for the user.

Online learning with cost savings

The third shortcoming of CARS was its myopic view of the world. We used to train the CARS model on data going back about 1 year. However, we wanted to implement not just a smarter model but also a cost-effective way to train our model. We implemented an online learning technique to achieve this. We split our training data by date partitions and fine-tuned the most recent model on the data changes (delta) between the last training session and the current date.

This can be mathematically represented as 

M_d = f(M_d-1,D_d)

Where M_1 = f'(D_0...D_n)

Where M_d is the model trained on day d and D_d is the dataset on day d. The first model we train M_1 is initialized by doing a cold start training of the model using data from day 0 to n, where n is a hyperparameter we tuned.

Using online learning we are now able to maintain a long-running understanding of a user’s behavior. This also reduced the time and the cost to train our models significantly since now we are just fine-tuning our model on 1 day of data rather than training it on a massive dataset.

Conclusion and looking ahead

We successfully demonstrated an approximately 5% improvement in home screen click-through rate using this new framework via an A/B test. We also launched this new model on the Peloton Bike, Peloton Tread, and Peloton App while reducing the cost to train our model by approximately 128x and the time to train our models by approximately 48x.

We want to thank our team members Neel Talukder and Munesh Bandaru who were instrumental in building out our Feature store and several features like the user workout history which was key to our model.

Though we currently do not have any improvements planned on this model, we would like to explore the possibility of real-time inference in the future in order to dynamically generate recommendations.

We hope that the learnings shared in this blog could help inform any other teams looking to build out recommender systems. We have an exciting roadmap ahead as we keep tackling the very rewarding and unique challenges we face at the intersection of recommender systems and fitness. If you or anyone you know is interested in working with us, please visit our careers page and join the ride!

Glossary

Class: A class is defined as an instance of an on-demand video that our members use to exercise. Classes belong to a wide range of fitness disciplines, are filmed by instructors, and have a certain duration.

Online Learning: Online machine learning is a method of machine learning in which data becomes available in a sequential order and is used to update the best predictor for future data at each step. More information on the Wikipedia page.

Workout: A workout is an instance of a user completing a class at a point in time.

At Peloton, we proudly cultivate a community where diversity fuels innovation and collaboration. We’re excited to spotlight Renu Chudamani, Quality Assurance Director on our Engineering team, as she shares her inspiring career journey, valuable experiences, and insights into the projects that ignite her passion. From navigating her role to spearheading impactful initiatives, Renu's journey showcases the vital role she plays in driving Peloton's success. Continue reading the Q&A with Renu below to learn more.

Q: Tell us a little more about yourself and your role at Peloton. 

A: As Director of Quality Assurance, I lead software quality and testing across CFX, App, and Ecomm — and this June marks my 2-year 'Pelo-versary'! I've always been a tinkerer at heart — from stripping and rebuilding computers as a kid to still being the go-to person at home when something breaks (just ask my husband!). During my time at Peloton, my team has contributed to impactful projects like the Strength+ app and Social teams.

Q: How does the work you do everyday impact others?

A: Everything my team does is driven by one goal: delivering a first-class member experience. Peloton’s position as a leader in the fitness industry wouldn’t be possible without reliable, high-quality software. My team is a dedicated group of individuals passionate about ensuring every release is as seamless and bug-free as possible. They achieve this through meticulous testing and proactive collaboration with developers, PMs, and TPMs — ensuring every product meets the highest standards of excellence.

Q: How does Peloton support women in tech, and what initiatives do you believe make a difference?

A: One of the things I truly love about Peloton is the incredible diversity of women represented across nearly every team I've worked with — not just in specific roles or domains, as I've seen in some past companies. Our annual hackathon is another fantastic example of this. It's a space where diverse perspectives shine, and many of those ideas have gone on to become part of our products. All it takes is an idea and a group of like-minded folks ready to rally behind it!

Q: What advice would you give to women aiming for a leadership role within the tech field? 

A: For women aspiring to leadership roles in tech — leave that imposter syndrome at the door! Early in my career, self-doubt often held me back, and I know many women struggle with feeling 'not good enough.' But I've learned that success isn't about ticking every box — it's about resilience, growth, and embracing the journey. Mistakes are inevitable, but what matters most is learning from them, dusting yourself off, and pushing forward with confidence. As Maya Angelou wisely said, 'We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.

Inspired by Renu’s story and looking to make your mark in tech? Explore product & technology careers at Peloton here. 

We just wrapped up the 7th hackathon since our founding and continuing with our third annual use of the week-long format. A hackathon is an opportunity to unlock the creativity and innovative spirit of our global team. Team members have the opportunity to take a week to collaborate, be creative, and build a product or feature that could one day reach Members. Several popular Peloton features started or were inspired by hackathon projects including: Auto-Resistance, 3rd Party Treadmill Metrics, target metrics for our Members during rides, the Peloton Guide, QR Code Log-in feature, and the Peloton Android Widget.

This year, we had 55 completed projects from 198 hackers, representing teams across Product, Emerging Business, Engineering, Legal, Instructors and other groups across the company. Many of these hackers pushed themselves to learn something new working outside of their core job / skill set. The excitement during the week is contagious, in part coming from members of competing teams and organizational boundaries helping each other achieve the best possible outcomes. 

Over the course of the week we saw collaboration and hacks across our global footprint, including team members from Taiwan, Woodville, NYC, Plano, and Remote. 

While the hackathon is about allowing the team the space to be creative and learn, we have found some friendly competition adds a fun element. During the hackathon week, team members have the opportunity to spend three and a half days building their hack. Some team members maximize that time by working through the night. Then all completed projects run through our people’s choice judging round where we leverage a pairwise comparison model and tooling initially open sourced from hack-mit. During our People’s choice judging round we had 8,648 votes cast by 285 individuals assisting with the People’s choice judging process.

The top five projects from that People’s choice judging round then proceed to a shark tank style session where those teams pitch and demo their hacks, while fielding questions from the Lead Team.

While it is fun to see what comes out on top of the friendly competition, the most exciting part is seeing how energized the team leaves and what ends up in the hands of our millions of Peloton members.

Want to see more? Check this out this video!

Welcome to the Life at Peloton Guest Writer Series, where team members from diverse backgrounds and experiences share their unique perspectives on working at Peloton. Our guest contributors include Peloton team members from across the globe. This series aims to amplify voices, create connections, and celebrate people's incredible journeys at Peloton every day.

Mentor. The term conjures up images of Master Yoda clinging onto the back of a strapping Luke Skywalker as he parkours through a murky jungle, Yoda whispering sage words into Skywalker’s ear, readying him for the battles to come. Sounds a bit intense if you ask me. That’s why when I was approached to apply to the 2023-24 cohort of the Peloton Studios London Mentorship Programme, I was hesitant - at first.

The Mentorship Programme was first launched at Peloton London when Engagement Survey responses showed a growing interest in mentorship. The survey “flagged that staff across the studio really wanted some sort of mentoring or coaching scheme alongside other support around development and training,” said Pete Flamman, VP of Global Content Creative and International. “This, coupled with the continuous focus and drive for talent retention and development, was the ignition,” said Sarah Chase, Senior Content Solutions Manager and Mentorship Programme Co-Lead. Once they’d heard the call, Leadership from the Content and Music teams started the search for potential mentors and found a number of leaders with a passion for supporting other team members. The group, headed by Chase and Liz Stewart, Senior Director, Content, International, combined their efforts to develop a plan for a studio-wide Mentorship Program. 

They welcomed their first cohort in 2022, a mix of team members within the Content and Music team. Mentees ranged from managers with years of experience to part-timers still attending university.  

One of the program's first participants was Shayma Ahmed, now a part-time Studio Stagehand. At the time, Ahmed attended London South Bank University, where she pursued a degree in Sports and Exercise Science. Beyond her studies and her role at Peloton, she also maintained a rigorous training schedule as a collegiate-level rower. “I didn’t really know exactly what to expect, but knowing that there’s someone who has a lot of experience and knowledge to guide me was what motivated me to apply for the program,” said Ahmed.

Ahmed was paired up with Flamman for the six-month program. They would meet monthly to discuss Ahmed’s work-related goals as well as her ambitions in the world of professional rowing. “When I was given the opportunity to train and develop as an athlete with the GB Performance Development Academy, Pete put me in contact with Alex Karwoski, the Peloton Row Instructor. We had a call to talk about rowing and training to a high standard,” said Ahmed. The mentorship relationship also proved beneficial for both Ahmed and Flamman alike. “Mentoring Shayma helped me to understand all the challenges Shayma was facing and also all the exciting opportunities and choices she had as she combined working at Peloton with studying,” said Flamman, “It wasn't me telling Shayma what to do - it was about us figuring things out together so she could then decide what she'd do.”

By autumn 2023, Chase and Stewart were ready to launch the second iteration of the Mentorship Programme. They welcomed 19 new mentees into the scheme, along with 17 mentors, including myself. Encouraged to apply by my manager, I answered a short form that asked about my background and my reasons for pursuing mentorship. Within a couple of weeks, I attended the kickoff Mentorship Program meeting, where I learned I’d be paired with Kate Khullar, Content Senior Program Manager. Over the last several months, Kate has helped me focus my career goals and coached me to go for a couple of opportunities in my personal life.

Most importantly, Kate has helped me change my mindset when it comes to challenges I’ve faced at work. At times when I’ve felt overwhelmed and emotional, Kate has been able to provide me with a grounded perspective. This focused, logical thinking has encouraged me to get more involved with the Latin and Hispanic ERG and work on a writing project with the Branding Team.

Mentorship provided Ahmed with a similar moment of clarity. “Pete always told me that the worst thing somebody could say is ‘no.” It was a piece of advice Flamman pulled from his years of experience, “I've had times in my life and career when I wish I had asked and risked getting the ‘no.’ But I also know that the times I plucked up the courage to ask, it was OK. Often, it did lead to a no, but not always.” That shift in mindset gave Shayma the courage to start a public Instagram account documenting her rowing journey as well as to become a coach for London Youth Rowing. “Being reminded that I can actually ask for help and not deal with everything on my own is something I didn’t know I needed until that point,” shared Ahmed, “It’s been amazing working with Pete on my personal and professional development and from this I’d definitely recommend for everyone to find a mentor that works with them and their goals.”

The word neurodivergence suggests a difference from the neurological norm, but I can’t speak for anyone who adheres to said norm - as long as I’ve been alive, I’ve been autistic, and it’s all I know. When I was diagnosed with autism, my parents probably cared a lot more than I did; I was too busy trying to memorize as many facts as I physically could about the heyday of nu-metal. As cliche as this line sounds, for as long as I can remember, I have been different from others. It took me years of therapy to be able to look people in the eye, and in intensely emotional situations, the only really reassuring thing I could do was tap my feet and flap my hands - to this very day, I struggle with social overstimulation.

One thing I can speak to is how my perspective differs from that of my coworkers, a difference that one might assume would have alienated me from my peers, but at Peloton, it has been embraced. Gone are the days of feeling burdensome in the workplace; at Peloton, my assets are just that - assets, not cumbersome traits to be flattened out in favor of a more uniformly minded workforce, and I’m thriving.

Since joining the company, my unique outlook on the challenges of my job has been welcomed, and I’ve been given so many opportunities to get creative with my particular interests and hyper-fixations. My original role at Peloton was on the retail team at Peloton Studios London, a role I was attracted to because of my own addiction to cycling and a desire to get other people moving the same way I do - I’ve since moved up to the hardware team, a move driven more by the liking I’ve taken to the exciting atmosphere of the studios (and especially the Member classes.) Languages have always been my driving passion, and during my time at Peloton, I’ve been fortunate to work in a bilingual environment, performing duties in both German and English. Social events are a much-beloved part of Peloton's culture, and through workplace and out-of-hours interaction, my managers have taken the time to learn about my interests and share opportunities for me to delve right into. 

Apart from my own welcoming experience, Peloton’s commitment to its team members and members can be seen throughout the workplace and across our connected fitness platforms and App. The ingenuity of the teams across the company is showcased by our accessible content, working platforms, and spaces for both Members and team members with disabilities. If you’re a Peloton Member, you may be familiar with the subtitles on our programming or adaptive fitness classes. At the office, our workplace communications take place on a platform with a dark mode to accommodate those who suffer from light sensitivity or overstimulation. Whether you’re dealing with interpersonal stresses or an imminent meltdown, you’ll always be able to find a mindfulness room in one of our offices. We even have a quarterly wellness allowance on top of our health insurance - this little extra pocket money can be used to cover a number of wellbeing-related costs, including sleep tracker subscriptions, meal preparation delivery, home gym equipment, or essentially, anything that you’d use to keep yourself at your very best, physically and emotionally.

Peloton has my back, and just like they have my back, they’ve also got the backs of the thousands of other team members with needs just as complex and specific as my own. It’s not just team members with disabilities who have such needs - every member of staff has their own complexities, and Peloton gives us a space to approach work on our own terms, looking in the same direction but getting there by our own means. Every accessibility feature I’ve described was crafted by teams with the utmost dedication to ensuring that everybody can make it with Peloton, both as employees and members, and I can’t help but feel looked after, knowing that my employer takes the complexities of all of the community into consideration. Next time I write for this blog, maybe my interests will have changed, and my focus at work will have shifted with them. If they have, it’s not a problem - having the support I have at Peloton allows me to grab onto the handles and enjoy the ride.

Every month, recruiters at Peloton meet with dozens of candidates interested in joining our team. Whether during informal conversations or during formal interviews, they answer countless questions about the company.

Joining a new team and company is a big decision; the more information you have, the better. So we reached out to our recruiters to find out what questions they are asked most often – and for their own personal take on them.

Here are five frequently asked questions and their answers:

1. What’s the culture really like at Peloton?

A company's culture can make a huge difference in your experience at work. But what exactly is company culture?

At Peloton, we view company culture as the values, mission, priorities, attitudes, and practices we embody daily. At the foundation of Peloton’s culture are our five core values:

• Put Members first - we obsess over every touchpoint in the Member experience
• Operate with a bias for action – we are constantly innovating, learning and improving
• Empower teams of smart creatives – we hire people who are great at what they do, and support and trust them with the resources and autonomy to let them shine
• Be the best place to work – we are committed to cultivating and maintaining a world-class culture that puts team member experience, wellbeing, and safety at the heart of what we do
• Together we go far - we understand the importance and value of teamwork

With these values as our guide, we focus on supporting team members to achieve personal success that contributes to our unified mission of making fitness accessible to anyone, anytime, anywhere.

“Our company culture is a purpose-driven, diverse environment that allows all types of people the ability to succeed in their roles,” said Jessica Lipkin, Senior Recruiter.

Val VanderLinden, Principal Recruiter, agreed and had some other key adjectives to add to the mix. “Fast-paced, innovative, promotes a growth mindset, inclusive and fun!”

George Gray, Recruiting Coordinator, described the culture at Peloton as second to none and added it's one of the key reasons for the company’s success.

“We truly believe that providing happy and collaborative working environments not only gets the best results but also means we attract the best people,” Gray said. “Whether you work in the office or in the field, we are dedicated to making sure all our colleagues are proud to say they are part of the Peloton team.”

2. What opportunities are there for professional development and training?

At Peloton, change is constant, as we are always evolving, innovating, and looking for ways to improve our products and processes. So, we understand team members' desire to grow, learn, and pursue new opportunities.

One of the benefits Peloton offers is tuition reimbursement, which allows most employees to continue their education at the program and institution of their choice.

Peloton also offers unique internal learning and development programs for employees who are interested in advancing in specific fields or want to segue into another area of the business.

“Peloton is an excellent place for someone who is passionate about investing in personal and professional development. Part of our culture and one of our core values is to empower individuals to be the best version of themselves. We have numerous resources and perks dedicated to that core value,” Gray said. “Whether you want to be at the forefront of your field or you discover a passion for another role, we believe in supporting our team members to achieve their goals.”

Robby Kempton, Senior Manager, Recruiting, agreed and said each team member is in control of their career.

“Your development is driven by you,” she said. “You get out what you put in. We have so many opportunities for internal mobility if you want to take that path.”

3. How do performance feedback and evaluation work at Peloton?

Like many companies, Peloton conducts a year-end review that provides a formal opportunity for every eligible team member to self-reflect and receive feedback from their people leader on the past year's accomplishments, performance to their goals, opportunities for improvement, and learnings.

“We do not believe in a one-size-fits-all and we strive to take a tailored and personalized approach,” Gray said. “We also believe that feedback and evaluations are a dialogue and provide an excellent opportunity to discover more about our team members in order to help them be the best version of themselves but also to use their feedback to improve the betterment of the workplace. To this end, we provide all of our People leaders with the training and tools to deliver this experience across the board.”

Lipkin shared her personal experience, describing the different touch points she has with her manager.

“We conduct a formal annual review process, but my manager and I catch up quarterly on my overall goals, and every other week on more day-to-day items,” she said. “Our leaders are always open to providing as much feedback as one needs to help them achieve their own individual development plans.”

4. How does Peloton support work-life balance?

We work hard and play hard, and know everyone is at their best when they have the support tools, and resources to live a well-rounded life. To this end, we have unique, comprehensive, and diverse benefits and listen to what our team members want and need.

One way Peloton helps team members achieve balance is through hybrid work schedules for most positions that allow people to work from home two days a week. (This hybrid schedule is role and team-dependent and does not include on-site roles such as retail, studios, member support, etc.) Working hours may also be flexible, depending on the job and team.

Team Members are also encouraged – and expected – to take time off. We also have set and clear standards for calendar management, communication, and meetings so everyone can have room in their days for breaks.

“We prioritize mental well-being,” Lipkin said.“One way I personally do this is by booking scheduled breaks for myself after development sessions or blocks of work, and this allows me to show up feeling refreshed and ready for action.”

5. How does Peloton promote diversity and inclusion?

Diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity are all built into Peloton’s culture and values. We are a global company with a mission of making fitness accessible to anyone, anywhere. And we are always learning and looking for areas of improvement.

“Peloton believes that diversity refers to “what” you want to achieve and inclusion refers to “how” you maintain it,” VanderLinden said. “Many people share life experiences with other team members by joining and connecting through our numerous ERGs (employee resource groups) and also by being Members of Peloton.”

In 2023, Peloton focused on creating fair business practices and inclusive systems that embrace the diverse identities of our team members. We're also striving to understand and enhance opportunities for all team members at Peloton, especially those from communities that have been historically underrepresented.

Another key to our success is our Employee Resource Groups, which are led by Team Members for Team Members to help us drive conversation and action. More than 40% of our Team Members are involved in our eight employee resource groups that celebrate our similarities and differences and provide counsel to the leadership team on moving the business forward.

Kempton said it best: “We are always looking for diversity of thought and a culture of inclusion for all. Our diversity is a superpower.”

In order to carry out our mission and achieve sustainable success, we must show up as the best versions of ourselves, too. That’s why at Peloton, we prioritize balance, boundaries, and health from the inside out. 

Pacing & Recovery

At Peloton, our culture can be summed up in three words: people come first. We believe boundaries are sexy (as Instructor Robin Arzon always says) and know that while we must push hard to achieve, it’s just as important for each of us to pace ourselves and recover. 

To make this tangible and ensure we’re all on the same page, we have meeting and calendar standards that help us maintain healthy levels of productivity while protecting one of our most prized resources – our time. 

These company-wide standards ensure that we: 

• Refrain from sending emails or messages during non-work hours, unless an urgent issue arises; and we stay mindful of the working hours of peers operating in other timezones and countries
• Set aside time to work deeply and focus on projects without distractions 
• Only schedule meetings when they are the best way to move a project forward – and try not to stack them back-to-back, so people have time to grab water, use the restroom, and stretch.

By being intentional about how we all work and manage our time, we can safeguard against habits that can lead to overwhelm and burnout. 

We also know that time away from the office and our computers is crucial to our productivity, creativity, and mental health. Everyone is encouraged to take lunch breaks, get outside, move their bodies, and take intentional time off to be with their loved ones, travel, or simply do something other than work. 

Support at Work & Home

We know we’re at our best when we have support, resources, and the tools to achieve work-life harmony. We offer comprehensive, equitable, and inclusive benefits for full- and part-time team members. These include our Employee Assistance Program, access to Peloton products and classes, and mental health resources, including Lyra. 

Lyra is an online resource for mental health and emotional needs. Access is available to full-time team members around the world, and includes research-backed therapeutic methods, access to top therapists and coaches, and digital tools, such as exercises, trackers, and learning videos. It’s a streamlined way to get help and support when, where, and how we need it.

Time off is also crucial for mental health and allows us to rest, relax, and recharge while giving our time and attention to priorities and interests outside of work. At Peloton, we’re expected and encouraged to take time off. 

Peloton encourages team members to take 2 to 3 days off each quarter and at least two weeks of Personal Time Off each year. (This does not include sick days – we don’t work when we’re sick!) Our teams and managers have policies and procedures that keep projects moving while allowing time for everyone to take days off. 

Team Member Community Focused on Well-Being

While Peloton offers benefits and guidelines that help us balance life and work, there’s always room for improvement and learning.

Our Employee Resource Group (ERG) Thrive ensures we are meeting the mental health, neurodiversity, and disability needs of individuals, teams, and at the organizational level. They host events and conversations and make suggestions to leadership about how we can continue to support each other and set an example of how a company can be successful, productive and prioritize mental health.

A group of new product designers and software engineers spent the summer working alongside our engineering and design teams, sharpening their skills, putting classroom learnings into practice, and experiencing day-to-day life with the Peloton product team.

They were part of our Summer Associate Program, a 10-week immersive program for new product and software engineers who recently graduated or are preparing to graduate soon. The goal was to expose them to different engineering and design careers, help them network, and gain hands-on experience – all to give them a leg up as they jumpstart their tech careers.

“In 10 short weeks it is incredible to see our associates grow from writing some code to becoming a functional part of the team, participating in all the rituals and practices of a fully operational product software organization,” said Nadir Williams, a Product Software Engineering Manager, and associate mentor.

One engineering associate, Lawrence Yao, 20, from Queens, New York, said the program was the perfect mix of learning core skills and expanding visibility into engineering careers.

“I was able to gain technical experience, meet new people, and see the various fields within software engineering,” Yao said.

Immersive learning

The associates – 11 working in product and one in design – worked alongside our teams at Peloton on real company projects.

“The most beneficial part of this program was the technical skills I gained through my project,” said Nisha Chatwani, 22, an engineering associate from Los Angeles. “My team did an amazing job of creating a project that I could demo on my own. I feel I got a good balance of designing, programming, testing, and presenting the solution – all in 10 weeks!”

Our product teams and leaders also held regular training sessions to help associates learn core technical skills such as how to set up their development environments, how to effectively manage incidents, and how to use commonly used technology and software. We hosted Tech Talks and panel discussions where they could hear candid stories, ask questions, and get advice from others in the field.

“I think it was really helpful in identifying real-world business problems and learning the relevant tools to address those problems,” said Sundri Lai, 27, an engineering associate from New Jersey.

Lawrence said he was able to hone other skills, too.

“I felt like I was able to communicate better, whether in general or to express ideas or concerns about the work I was doing,” Lawrence said.

Associates came on board at the tail-end of our annual Hackathon, a week-long event where our full-time product team members have a chance to work in small groups to bring their wildest ideas to life and compete for a chance to pitch projects to the Peloton Lead Team. Associates were able to join in on voting for best projects, participating in trivia and happy hour events, and seeing demos for the winning projects.

Work hard, play hard

The summer wasn’t all work and no play. We held social events so our summer associates could connect and network with people from different career paths in a casual setting.

“My favorite part of the program was the Summer Ping Pong Tournament,” Chatwani said. “I was able to meet different people across the company and learn about other roles and teams at Peloton,”

“I believe that this experience will help launch the career of our summer associates by giving them the tools to succeed as entry-level / mid-level developers,” said Jose Vila, an Engineering Manager with Android Digital at Peloton. “Through Scrum Ceremonies, code review, pair programming, end-to-end assignments, and other social experiences, they will be able to share with prospective employers how they operated effectively as professional software engineers.”

Chatwani and others said they left feeling more prepared for the future. For Chatwani, this includes a semester overseas and completing a master's degree in computer science.

“I was able to build lasting relationships with people that I believe could help me with my career, and I learned more about the day-to-day experience of being a software engineer which will better prepare me for the future.” 

Explore engineering and design careers at Peloton here.

It’s a dream scenario for anyone passionate about building, designing, and engineering products: a week working on a project you’re passionate about alongside your fellow team members.

We get that opportunity here at Peloton. Each year, we hit the pause button on all business-as-usual work, giving our product team and partners around the globe the chance to participate in the company’s annual hackathon. During this weeklong event, we get the opportunity to work on a new product, feature, or design project of our choice – and then get a chance to pitch our hacks to each other and, ultimately, company leaders. 

“If you give people time and space to build what they're passionate about, they will build amazing things,” said Alex Niderberg, Engineering Manager - Peloton Platform. “The hackathon is a fun way to foster and leverage the creativity, excitement, and passion of our team.”  

How it started

The first Peloton Hackathon was held in 2017 and was the brainchild of Peloton co-founders Yony Feng and Tom Cortese, who wanted another way to stroke the creativity and passion of the product team. 

“Hackathon is one of my favorite times of the year, the whole team comes together and comes up with innovations that propel our business in ways we may not have thought about” Cortese said. 

Several popular Peloton features started or were inspired by hackathon projects including:  target metrics for our Members during rides, the Peloton Guide, QR Code Log-in feature, and improvements to the Android app and other Android products.

In June of 2023, more than 300 of our team members participated from across the globe and submitted a total of 126 ideas. Of those, 106 ideas were adopted by teams for exploration and teams delivered more than 70 hack projects.

How it works

Our team members assembled into self-organizing teams and chose their hack project to work on. Some teams brainstormed their own ideas and others chose from one of the hundreds submitted by colleagues. 

Our Peloton Global Hackathon kicks off on a Monday morning with a live broadcast from our New York headquarters for our global team members. Then, teams have three days to bring their ideas to life. Some teams choose to work only during business hours, others leverage a follow-the-sun model partnering with team members based in different time zones, and others work around the clock to bring their visions to life. 

“There’s a lot of excitement and energy during the hackathon. In a way, we’re competing, but it doesn’t feel like that,” said Jennifer Barry, Engineering Manager, Onboarding/Account/User and Device Services. “Everyone is helping each other along the way.” 

On Thursday morning, Hackathon teams submit a video pitch of their project. Then all 300+ of our hackathon participants review projects and vote on the top 10 that get to move on to the next round. 

Our 10 finalists' projects go through a technical review, and then a panel of our executive judges narrow the pool down to five finalists. On Friday morning, those five finalists pitch directly to Peloton’s Lead Team, who make up the panel of final-round judges.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to share ideas with your incredibly talented teammates and bring them to life,” said Thansha Sadacharam, Tech Learning Program Lead.

And that’s exactly what we’re hoping to foster – more ways to bring creative ideas to life from those who know Peloton’s products inside and out.

“I love the passion and innovation our team brings to Hackathon every year,” said Matt Skavenski, SVP of Engineering for Mobile and Shop. “I also love that we enable our teams to ship hacks that benefit millions of our Peloton Members.” 

Check out the recap video below and see you next year!

For many years, Sheri Mendon worked as a marketing director in sports and entertainment. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and sporting events and the entertainment industry closed indefinitely, Sheri was laid off from work.

While searching for work in September 2020, she came across a seasonal, part-time sales specialist job at a Peloton store in San Diego, CA. Already a passionate Member, she decided to apply despite having no sales experience.

“I thought it would be fun to tide me over until the sports industry opened up,” she said. “Within the first week, I realized this wasn’t just a job selling something at a mall, this was a more professional job than I anticipated, and I appreciated that.”

She also enjoyed the work – getting to talk with people about Peloton all day in a friendly yet professional environment. With the company’s sales training and feedback and support from managers, she soon saw success. 

“I saw very quickly that it could be more than a seasonal job – that there was a career path here,” Sheri said.

One month later, a full-time position became available and Sheri was offered the job. Now, three years later, Sheri is a Showroom Manager in Newport Beach, CA.

Career Opportunities

As a Showroom Manager, Sheri is spending less time on the floor and is instead guiding and leading her team as well as participating in district, regional, and company meetings. But she still cherishes the connections she’s made with Members.        

“I love that Members who I’ve sold to still come back to share their progress with me,” she said.

Peloton stores are often located in malls and shopping centers but offer professional job opportunities with flexible hours (including nights, weekends, and some holidays). Sheri loves the flexibility as well as the chance to get involved in company-wide projects.

“There are always projects and opportunities you can get involved with if you’re interested,” she said. “What I love the most about working at Peloton is we truly do follow the value of empowering a team of smart creatives.”

Memorable Moments

During her three-year tenure at Peloton, Sheri has found many ways to get involved and make her mark.

Passionate about data analytics and spreadsheets, she created a system to track her progress when she first joined Peloton’s sales team. She soon expanded it into a dashboard for her local sales team, and shortly after it was shared with regional and district managers.

She also helped host a store event where she welcomed Peloton Instructors Matt Wilpers, Ash Pryor, and Mariana Fernandez. (“They’re even nicer in person!”) In the summer of 2022, she traveled to NY to help host an event in Times Square.

Earlier this year, she was selected to take part in a team of employees from throughout the company to brainstorm possible solutions for business challenges. After months of working together, the teams presented their ideas to company leadership in New York.

“I have worked for a number of different companies in the past, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a company that I have enjoyed working for more than this,” she said. “Even the hardest day I have here at Peloton is better than the best day at some other companies. It sounds crazy but is so true.”

If you want to pursue a retail career with Peloton, search our open jobs here.  

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City in March 2020 causing bars and restaurants to close, Anas Nahil – a bartender in midtown – knew it was time to leap into a new career. He started learning software development on his own and heard about the Pursuit fellowship in NYC, which helps people launch and advance careers in tech.

Anas is one of three employees recently hired at Peloton after completing the Pursuit program, which aims to create economic opportunity by empowering adults with the skills, network, and opportunity to land jobs in the tech industry.

The fellowship is an intense, year-long program for people 18 and older making less than $45k a year in the New York Metro area. They look for people with grit, a growth mindset, and a passion for making a difference through their work – many of the same qualities that we look for at Peloton.

Since 2019, Peloton has hired eight Pursuit graduates. Hiring participants helps Peloton look beyond resumes to find qualified candidates with diverse experiences, all passionate about creating a great user experience and building community through technology.

"To build the world's leading fitness platform we need the best ideas and creativity driving the conversation. We have learned that talent doesn't fit neatly into bullets on a resume. Partnering with Pursuit allows us to draw from the immense multi-disciplinary talent pool right here in our backyard and our product and culture is better for it" said Francis Shanahan, Peloton’s VP of Connected Fitness Software.

Passion & Preparation Leads to Success
While the Pursuit program was challenging, Anas was fueled by a desire to find a job he was passionate about.

He found it at Peloton.

“I have always been interested in Peloton as it is one of the leading tech companies in the industry and always inventing new features for the best user experience,” Anas said. “When I heard of the opportunity to apply to Peloton, I jumped at it and started preparing to make sure I'd stand out during those three interviews by showcasing a project I built that I was passionate about as well as passing the technical and behavioral interview.”

All the hard work and preparation paid off. Anas is now a FullStack engineer on the cloud side of the Device Services team.

“Working with my team has been a great experience. Being surrounded by engineers with so much knowledge I can learn from, always ready to answer questions I have about our product, while allowing me to learn from my mistakes and pushing me for the best and being part of the team,” he said. “It’s the best example of ‘Together we go far’ by making sure we all succeed in our jobs.”

Advice from Anas Nahil:

“My advice for someone who’s interested in working at Peloton is to keep pushing to be good at your craft. Learn everything technical that can help you nail those interviews and create great features as well as the ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Do not be afraid to ask questions and always aim for the best work you can do.”

A Foot in the Door
Shawn Faber, a software engineer on the Leaderboard Team at Peloton, said Pursuit was crucial to helping him get a foot in the door.

“Being a new engineer with 0 years of experience, it was very hard to get potential employers to notice you,” he said. “Luckily, Pursuit works very hard to get it’s fellows in the door and that’s how I got the chance to interview with Peloton.”

Now at Peloton for three months, Shawn is getting up to speed on the technology and systems, and adjusting to working in the supportive, passionate team environment.

“It’s fascinating to me how complex the inner workings of our platform actually are,” he said. “Coming from 20 years of punching a clock and having a manager on your back all the time, it is quite a different experience to be on your own and trusted to be responsible for your work and get things done.”

Advice from Shawn Faber:

“Use a Peloton before your interview if you can, so you know something about the product and brand.”

Committed to Community
Hupaul Camacho found Pursuit while working an overnight job and exploring potential long-term career opportunities that incorporated his interest in art and technology.

After completing the program, he set his sights on finding a company that creates a sense of community.

“When looking for potential tech companies to work with, the criteria that takes precedence over all others for me are companies that have products that promote a strong sense of community,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in building apps that enhance social interaction and discovery among its users.”

Now settled in his job on the Content Cloud team – which manages the internal platform that powers experiences across the entire Peloton product portfolio – Hupaul is focused on learning from tenured coworkers.

“Managers are committed to ensuring that I am comfortable working as well as catering work to my current skill level in order to make sure I can grow in my position and advance my career,” he said.

So far, he loves the focus on clear communication and collaboration between employees and teams.

“At Peloton, every individual’s contribution is important, and requires a good amount of discussion and collaboration between team members as well as different departments,” he said. “It can get fast-paced at times, but the emphasis on communication keeps us one step ahead of any potential setbacks when developing.

Advice from Hupaul Camacho:

“Being able to articulate yourself when talking about code is one of the skills I believe helped me land this position, as well as having a robust project that shows my experience building complete applications.

Putting your best self forward is advice that I, myself, take to heart. It is something that requires a great deal of effort, but this is what hiring managers will notice and take into consideration when reviewing your application.”

When Meris Stone was first considering Peloton as a place to work, she was skeptical—the company values seemed suspect.

“I was intrigued because not all companies have their values visibly displayed, and if they do, you don’t know if they’ll match what you’ll see in-house,” Meris says. “I’m a pragmatist, so ‘Together We Go Far’ was a little on the woo-woo side for me.”

Still, after an informational interview with a team member, a role opened up that combined her non-profit background with her project management skills, so Meris decided to give Peloton a try. Turns out the values thing really does have legs, even for someone as fiercely independent as Meris.

“Through my experiences and relationships with people, I believe ‘Together We Go Far’ is a value that’s embodied by team members. I feel that it’s happening in an organic and authentic way. The majority of people are receptive and open—and that’s something that I try to be too.”

The idea of an employee resource group (ERG) was new to Meris, but it’s ultimately what folded her into the “togetherness” of the Peloton community. “ERGs gave me the water cooler talk. Which is helpful when you’re virtual you don’t always know what’s going on. Through listening and getting my bearings, I got more comfortable progressing into an active community member.” Meris became the Asian Community ERG (ACE) Community and Social Impact Chair and she organized volunteer opportunities with an organization called New Women New Yorkers, which provides workforce development training for immigrant women. Meris is now a co-lead of ACE Her advice on getting involved in company extracurriculars: “Be open,” she says. “Do it if it’s interesting to you. And if it’s not, that’s cool.”

There’s no limit to the ways Peloton team members can contribute, so sure enough, another chance arose for Meris to widen her influence and grow her skills. She was asked to bring visibility to accessibility at Peloton. “At the time, it was more of an idea than it was a project. So I went on the hunt for allies.” That project proved a breakthrough for her. “I feel like I was able to move the needle,” Meris says. “I think that speaks to the autonomy you can have here, that you can just run with things.”

Autonomy is valuable, but so is community, and the value of Together We Go Far has been good for her, Meris says. “I can be someone who goes it alone because I'm really focused.”

As part of a strong community, Meris grew to recognize her own potential as a leader, teacher, and mentor. On a team as cross-functional and cross-cultural as Peloton’s, this gift is paid forward.

“My supervisor has given me visibility and opportunities, and that’s made me more conscious of my own position at Peloton. Sometimes we underestimate our ability to do that for other people, but now I’ve converted it into how I can shine a light on other people.”

It’s all those people, the people who thrive on autonomy, but know when to embrace the community and elevate their team members who need the chance to take charge—that’s what makes Peloton unique.

Manuel Valdez asks himself two questions every day: Am I prepared to give the best that I have? Am I ready to make someone else’s success my top priority?

“I’m a very value-driven person,” he said. “I believe that for my happiness, the closer I am to my value and purpose, the more happy and productive I’ll be at whatever I’m doing, personally or work-wise.”

Manuel is the Senior Program Manager of Learning and Development Operations on Peloton’s People Experience team, and for good reason: He’s one of the more extroverted team members, and his career has packed his brain with retail experience, people management skills, and training expertise. When Manuel got the chance to pivot from training facilitation to a role in content creation, it felt opportune.

“It’s taking my best and applying that to someone else,” he said of the change, a habit that has become the throughline for everything he does at Peloton, a value that’s come to bleed into his personal life too.

“When I made the pivot to a place in which other people’s success was more important than mine, but it ultimately drove my success—that’s when my energy came from a different place. Instead of having a great sales number, I was more jazzed about five people having great sales numbers. To me, that’s the best place to work. You’re helping other people hit their goals, which in turn helps you hit yours.”

One of Peloton’s five core values is this: Be the best place to work.

It happens when someone fuses their skills into a whole greater than the sum of its parts, when a team member gives their best to someone else, and when people put others’ success before their own.

Not only is it part of Manuel Valdez’s job to protect this core value, we believe Manuel himself is one of the reasons Peloton is the best place to work.

Making Peloton the best place to work

When Manuel joined 1 year ago, the company was in its early stages of a post-pandemic environment, and its future was unknown. “Peloton was on a great trajectory, and it wasn’t all written yet,” he said, but that it was unexplored was part of the draw. “I would be able to apply all of the values that had driven me, all the learnings and skills that I’ve had in my previous careers at previous companies and apply it to a new story and be part of the foundation, the building, bringing those values to life.”

Manuel witnessed Be the Best Place to Work in practice early in his tenure at Peloton when leadership hosted virtual education sessions as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It felt like an organization making good on a promise. “We’re going to make this the best place to work by showing you that not everything that happens to us is great, but there are ways to support you. There are ways we can help you.”

More recently, the value reached him personally, when leadership selected him to participate in training for Peloton’s internal anti-racism program, Activating Allyship. He said being selected to be a part of building the program is an honor.

“I got the message that they are very impressed with the work I’m doing and see me as high potential. Being invited to this pilot is a career development moment for me because I get to be a part of a piloting the program’s content to support the work beyond.”

Culture makes this possible. “It happened because Peloton had trust in me and sent me to that session, got me selected for this. I think that's the epitome of a best place to work because it's bringing experiences to you that you didn’t even know were available and you're supported,” he said. “It’s nice when something unsolicited and unexpected comes your way that just shows that what you do and what you believe is real.”

Remaining the best place to work, even when predicting the future is hard

Like many businesses, Peloton is experiencing post-pandemic change. But being the best place to work doesn’t get knocked down the list of priorities, Manuel said.

“The way that I enact my strengths has adapted. The value itself is still the same. We still need to be the best place to work. I need to instill in people that we are going to focus on their careers. That hasn’t changed. How we as an organization move forward is changing, and we’ll all have new goals and new strategies to go after, but at the end of the day, why we are here has never changed.”

Despite the present changes and future unknowns, “we’re still leaning in on career development,” he said. “We’re still driving people’s growth internally. We’re still working to provide this map to show success.”

Manuel has been here before, exploring new avenues with the business, not being completely sure of what’s coming next. It’s what attracted him to the team 1 year ago. So the work of sustaining this value, of putting our team members first, of making Peloton the best place to work, will continue.

“You need to be there for others first,” Manuel said. “That means give ’em all your time. If you’re there to support somebody, then they need to be your focus. That’s hard. There are a lot of things coming at you. There are a lot of things you have on your mind. You may have only fifteen or thirty minutes with this person, so what’s the impact you want to have?”

Jen Esterline, Peloton’s Director of Mechanical Engineering, has spent her career designing consumer products. She’s worked for companies like Nokia, Fitbit, Fossil, and Harry’s, but, she said, “my heart is in consumer electronics.” Specifically, ones that do good.

“A lot of consumer products make people’s lives better in different ways,” Jen said. “Making people healthier personally speaks to me. Peloton products make huge differences in people’s lives, and that’s really inspiring and motivating for me.”

Working on great products is a worthy draw, but the other reason Jen was hooked on the opportunity at Peloton is that she’s a natural leader. “One of my favorite roles is just building a team,” she said.

To Jen, who leads more than two dozen engineers across the New York and San Diego offices, Empowering Teams of Smart Creatives means letting them do the work they were hired to do. “As I’m building and growing teams, I strive to hire and coach people with different perspectives. When I hire, I want to hire people who are smarter than me.”

Still, engineers are in the business of problem-solving, and that’s not always easy or motivating. High-energy, pep rally–type motivation may work for some teams, but Jen has found hers responds to a different energy. It’s about having real conversations about what’s tough—and how they can be resilient.

One achievement Jen is particularly proud of is the Rower. The development process started before Jen ever joined Peloton, but her team played a significant role in making it happen. In late 2021, there was a push to launch the product earlier than expected, so the team accelerated the job.

“The amount of work and the number of technical decisions we had to make in such a short amount of time was just amazing,” she said. “I haven’t seen it work this well at any other place with such a compressed timeline. It was a hard and complex project. That’s one where I felt really proud of my team.”

To see it through, Jen worked with other leaders to set up a “war room,” complete with a file release timer on the wall.

“The team really rallied around getting there, focusing on the issues and not getting caught up on who’s making what decisions, the more standard political drama. We were like, ‘We’re going to get this done, so what are the problems and what are we going to do to fix them?”

When they needed to, they hit the hype button (Thanks Chelsea Girvin!!). In this case, hype isn’t a metaphor. Someone actually bought programmable buttons for the war room—Ship it! one says. Another whines womp womp when pressed. “I don’t know if I like that one as much,” Jen said.

For those coming into Peloton, Jen encourages them to make sure they’re reaping the benefits of this value. If you don’t feel like you’re being empowered as a smart creative, speak up. That’s what the value is there for.

“Don’t be afraid to have a conversation with your manager or your leaders if you feel like you aren’t empowered. Leaders, and myself included, may not be intentionally keeping you down, they legit might not be aware that you’re feeling like that or that they’re behaving in any sort of way.”

Jen said she uses it too when talking to other leaders.

“I try to influence and empower not just my team, but other teams as well. Having that value gives you a talking point. It makes it easier to say: ‘We really need to let the team do their thing and let them drive the decision-making. Otherwise, why do we hire all these talented and smart team members?’”

“When I came to Peloton, I had a mindset that my area is all about growth and acquiring new customers. It’s been a mindset shift for me to think about it as members first, to work backwards from what our members really want and to what’s impactful for them,” says Buwaneka Arachchi, a Manager on the Business Development team in Peloton’s new Australia office.

Turns out he just had the order swapped. Meeting members’ needs acquires new customers, so Buwaneka learned to change tack.

“Putting our members first is the best way to grow our business,” he says. “If we focus on creating as much value as possible for our existing members, building as engaging an experience as we can, then we should trust that they’ll be our greatest advocate and tell other people about what an awesome experience they have with Peloton.”

This is a new way of working for Buwaneka, who comes to Peloton from management consulting. He worked in an advisory role, dipping into a client project, making a few recommendations, and then moving on to the next one. 

“That was a great way to start a career, and I think I’ve built up some kind of basic business skills from that. Coming into Peloton, I was really keen to develop an operational skill set and get my hands dirty with end-to-end ownership of not just what the strategy should be, but the actual delivery of the outcome.” Beyond that, he was looking for an environment where leadership trusted employees to take ownership of the work and try new things, and a collaborative environment where he could learn from colleagues.

He signed up at the right time. Buwaneka joined in the first weeks of Peloton’s presence in Australia, and he’s been instrumental in bringing the business there.

Buwaneka works in two areas: with Peloton’s corporate partners like hotels and offices to put bikes in their locations, and with partners like banks, airlines, and health insurance groups to put forward Peloton-related offers to their members. 

“In the commercial part of our businesses, putting members first is about adding value to our  members by making sure that we can meet them when they’re away from home,” he says. “In the partnerships part of our business, it’s about, number one, making the membership as accessible as possible for new members, and number two, adding as much value as we can to the membership that our existing members already have.”

When we launched in Australia, the business development team had the advantage of an abundance of data about Peloton’s global member base. We know that our members look for Peloton when they’re picking a place to stay on the road, and bikes at hotels and short-term rentals get a lot of use, so that’s where they started.

They’ve launched partnerships with some of the biggest chains in the country, and now they’re expanding. Next, the team is exploring verticals like offices, members clubs, YMCAs, and universities. 

“The company is incredibly responsive to what our members are asking for. I think we do a really good job of listening to what product features, what changes to our products that members want, and then going away and adjusting our products and offerings to meet that.”

His favorite example is Peloton’s Hotel Finder. “We saw members on social media creating their own lists of hotels that have Peloton bikes, so our team built them the Hotel Finder, which provides an interactive map of locations around the world that have our bikes. Even recently, the business development team has been improving this tool by enabling users to filter by their favorite hotel group or loyalty program."

Buwaneka is always thinking about what members have invested in the company. That’s what drives his decisions. “We’re asking people to contribute to an expensive membership and to invest their time and money with us. We owe them the responsibility of building the coolest experience possible.”

If you need to get something done, call Abhishek Shukla Ravishankara. Abhishek, who goes by Abhi, is a Senior Engineering Manager at Peloton, working out of the NYC office.

When he joined Peloton in late 2021, Abhi noticed that his department’s operational excellence processes could be improved. What they needed was a standard way to track performance and a platform for engineering managers to discuss those metrics.

Abhi came up with a live document where managers could aggregate and track all the most vital metrics and who was responsible for each. The document became a hub where Abhi could collect feedback and run ops review meetings. The process wasn’t perfect, but it got the ball rolling. Over time, and with regular feedback from the team, Abhi and his colleagues refined the document and the way the weekly ops meetings are run.

Their process uncovered a potential problem: With increased attention to the way their systems perform, the on-call engineers could be overburdened and their work-life balance compromised. To get ahead of this problem, Abhi created a document of healthy on-call practices and a tiered escalation proposal that would cut down on the number of hours engineers spend on-call.

Authoring documents like these not only helps him think through problems, Abhi says, it also helps create buy-in and rally others to collaborate.

No one asked Abhi to lead these improvements, he just did it. “The key here is my manager didn't say, ‘Hey, go solve this problem.’ I brought it up, saying, ‘It seems like there is a problem. This is how I’m thinking about it. I’m going to make it happen.”

When asked about how the process is going, he says, “We’ve had the weekly ops review for a few months now, and I had a retrospective with my peers on how to improve it. Operational excellence is never done. The key is continuous improvement. By embracing a bias for action, we’ll keep getting better. ”

Abhishek is naturally inclined this way. Even in his personal life he is “usually the one breaking the analysis paralysis around which restaurant we should get dinner at or if it is travel plans,” he said. “Indecisiveness stresses me out!”

Before joining the Peloton team, Abhi spent his career working in startups where everyone is expected to simply do the work and then go find more. So when he arrived at Peloton, he excelled.
In fact, Operating with a Bias for Action was something that drew Abhi to the company—it just clicked. “It’s been my style. If I feel like I’m operating for the greater good and have reasonable confidence that what I’m gonna do is actually good for the entire system, I go ahead and do it.”

Being quick to take action doesn’t come without its risks, of course, and Abhi is quick to acknowledge projects that could have turned out better. One of them is a bug fix he insisted be thoroughly tested, despite the fact that it was highly unlikely the fix would cause major problems. His overcautiousness delayed the release by almost a month. On another occasion, Abhi gave his team the go-ahead on a project without waiting for the design, marketing, and payment partner approvals to come through. When those finally did come in, the team had to backtrack and throw out some of their work.

People are going to make mistakes, but in an environment where action is expected, mistakes are forgiven. “Peloton provided plenty of opportunities for me to apply this principle in day-to-day operations. I have made good progress and brought meaningful results, but I’ve also made some mistakes, which I have reflected on so that I don’t make similar mistakes again.”

Abhi doesn’t think this attitude—Operate with a Bias for Action—works everywhere. In other companies, this m.o. may not be welcome. But this isn’t the case at Peloton, he said. It’s energizing to work for a company that welcomes this behavior and recognizes team members who embrace it.

“It’s so ingrained in the culture that peers recognize when others operate with a bias for action. This value is emphasized at every turn”, Abhi said. “This gets called out in our promotion process, in peer recognition, and in day-to-day operations. It’s built into the way Peloton rewards its employees.”

In practice, it’s a very simple principle, executed this way: “If you see a gap, go ahead and fill it. Do it even if it isn’t your responsibility. As long as you keep this in mind”, Abhi said, "you’re going to do well. You create value, you become impactful, you are more visible.”