Edgar Su/REUTERS
A Harvard graduate and the son of a Malaysian auto-conglomerate owner, Tan started Grab as an alternative to Malaysia's infamous public taxis, which were once ranked the worst cab service in the world.
The ride-hailing app grew to rival Uber in Southeast Asia and eventually pushed it out of the region in 2018.
Now headquartered in Singapore, Grab aims to be a super app that offers anything from insurance to grocery deliveries to courier services. Grab has almost 25 million monthly users, the company said, and around 7,000 employees, based on figures it released.
With Tan, 39, at the helm, Grab is also looking to go public in the US at a $40 billion valuation.
The tech CEO is famous for optimizing his schedule for maximum efficiency, such as by taking calls on the treadmill, and has been quoted saying he doesn't have time to watch movies.
Here's a look at how Tan gets it all done in a day.