Feb 23, 2026, 3:01 AM ETInterview, Fireside Chat

Uber CEO: I Have To Be Honest, AI Will Replace 9.4 Million Jobs At Uber! - Dara Khosrowshahi

The Diary Of A CEODara Khosrowshahi

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Dara Khosrowshahi attributes his relentless work ethic and drive to a childhood marked by the 1978 Iranian Revolution, where his family lost their industrial empire and was forced to flee to the U.S. after revolutionary guards shot bullets through their living room.
He views "working hard" not as an innate trait but as a learned skill, citing top athletes like Ronaldo and Michael Jordan as examples where relentless discipline, rather than just talent, separates the elite from the rest.
Upon joining Uber, the company was losing approximately $3 billion annually; Khosrowshahi oversaw a turnaround resulting in $8.5 billion in annual free cash flow.
Khosrowshahi's previous 12-year tenure as CEO of Expedia increased sales from $2.1 billion to $8.8 billion and made him the highest-paid CEO of a U.S. tech company at the time, with a pay package of $94.1 million.
He advises young professionals to focus on the skill of working hard and to avoid rigid career planning, arguing that excessive planning reduces curiosity and blinds individuals to life-changing opportunities.
Khosrowshahi advocates for extreme transparency in leadership, stating that if a culture demands the truth, those unable to handle it should leave the organization.
He describes his management style as "engineering" companies, viewing organizations as machines that must be constantly optimized and improved to achieve shareholder and societal goals.
Khosrowshahi reveals a personal struggle with conflict avoidance in his private life, contrasting it with his aggressive, decision-making approach in business, noting he actively fights this tendency in his relationships.
At Expedia, he implemented a "zero for two" hiring rule with the CEO, which eventually led him to take over as CEO himself for five to six years to learn operational execution after missing two key hiring targets for the company's largest division.
He credits his leadership philosophy to Barry Diller, specifically the habit of cutting through corporate layers to hear directly from the source to maintain the "fidelity" of information.
Uber's value system includes the crowd-sourced value "Go-Get-It," reflecting an aggressive, fast-moving attitude, and the personally authored value "Do the Right Thing," which places ultimate responsibility on individual judgment.
Khosrowshahi acknowledges that AI will disrupt 70–80% of jobs over the next 10–20 years, creating a significant societal challenge regarding retraining and the preservation of human meaning through work.
He projects that physical AI, particularly autonomous vehicles, will take 15–20 years to mature enough to replace the 9.5 million drivers and couriers currently on Uber's platform.
Uber has integrated AI into 90% of its engineering operations, with 30% of engineers acting as "power users" who leverage AI to drastically increase their coding output and productivity.
Khosrowshahi warns that current large language models cannot learn in real-time, a distinction he believes keeps humans superior to AI in adaptive, immediate decision-making scenarios.
He argues that while AI can automate tasks, human-centric work provides a crucial sense of self-value and purpose that cannot be replicated by income support or Universal Basic Income alone.
Uber is pivoting to expand beyond driving into delivery and shopping, and has launched "Uber AI Solutions" to create new knowledge-based work opportunities for its existing workforce.
He predicts that autonomous vehicles will eventually reduce traffic fatalities from 35,000–40,000 in the U.S. to approximately 3,000, significantly increasing the return on human life.
Khosrowshahi accepted the Uber CEO role after Daniel Ek challenged him to prioritize "impact" over "happiness," quoting his late father's advice in Farsi: when a company that is a verb asks you to run it, you must say yes.
He expresses deep regret over not having deeper, pre-loss conversations with his father before his father's passing, wishing to have discussed his father's experiences of building, losing, and regretting his industrial legacy in Iran.
Khosrowshahi encourages society to lean into technological acceleration rather than slow it down, as global competition (e.g., China) will not pause progress, though he highlights the urgent need for scalable retraining infrastructure.
He views the "Jevons Paradox" as central to Uber's success, noting that making transportation cheaper and more convenient expanded the total market size far beyond the original estimates of the black car and taxi industries.
Khosrowshahi emphasizes that while success allows companies to take more risks, many become risk-averse due to loss aversion; he actively pushes his leadership team to be offensive rather than defensive.
He plans to tell his children to "work hard" as the primary piece of career advice, regardless of the AI revolution, as he has never seen a non-hard-working person become a truly successful one.
Khosrowshahi uses biometric data from WHOOP to monitor and optimize his sleep, identifying it as the most critical metric for clear thinking and leadership performance in his demanding schedule.
He notes that while AI agents can be trained on data, they currently lack the ability to "post-train" on new information in real-time, a capability that defines human adaptability.
Khosrowshahi warns that companies often fail not due to wrong decisions, but because they receive filtered, "bullshitted" data that prevents them from seeing the true reality of their operations.
He suggests that the future of coding involves orchestrating AI agents rather than manual writing, and that at some point, companies may invest more in GPUs and agents than in human engineering headcount.
Khosrowshahi describes Uber as a company with a permanent "chip on its shoulder," a cultural trait forged by its history of fighting taxi unions, the departure of its founder, and skepticism about its path to profitability.
He rejects the notion that the most important decisions are made by CEOs in isolation, emphasizing that the most critical skill for any leader is the ability to build channels that surface "hard truths" from all levels of the organization.
Khosrowshahi admits that while he has built a life of impact, he never feels entirely "safe," a feeling rooted in his childhood experience of having the rug pulled out from under him in Iran.
He argues that the "toe-stepping" value at Uber, intended to encourage challenging truth, was often weaponized to justify being a jerk, necessitating a cultural reset and a more nuanced definition of values.
Khosrowshahi cites the example of Uber integrating taxi services as a major bet that went against the company's founding anti-taxi narrative, which ultimately became the company's fastest-growing segment.
He states that he would rather make the mistake of celebrating success too little and pushing harder than the mistake of becoming complacent and failing to adapt to competitors.
Khosrowshashi believes that the ability to "learn real-time" is the one distinct capability humans possess over AI that will remain irreplaceable for the foreseeable future.
He advises against "blinders" in career planning, suggesting that individuals should remain open to input and signals from the world that could fundamentally alter their life trajectory.
Khosrowshahi emphasizes that the most successful companies are those where every team is organized for continuous daily improvement, as standing still is equivalent to falling behind in a competitive market.
He notes that while AI can retrain humans, the speed of technological change may outpace societal ability to reskill, creating a potential crisis in job displacement over the next decade.
Khosrowshahi suggests that the future of transportation will likely involve a mix of human and autonomous vehicles, with autonomous systems offering higher safety statistics than human drivers.
He believes that the "rhythm" of life is not linear but exponential, and that successful companies and technologies follow a "hockey stick" growth curve rather than a straight line.
Khosrowshahi mentions that he learned the value of betting on people with high character from Herbert Allen of Allen & Company, a lesson he applied throughout his career.
He describes his transition from investment banking to operations as a journey to find his "true love," realizing that while capital allocation is important, the act of running a company is where his passion lies.
Khosrowshahi warns that the "stochastic" nature of AI learning means that models must be retrained from scratch to update knowledge, whereas humans update their understanding instantly in real-time conversations.
He advocates for a "verb" culture where the company name is used as an action (e.g., "Uber it"), signifying a level of market dominance and cultural integration.
Khosrowshahi notes that his father was a stoic man who suppressed emotion, a trait he is actively trying to avoid passing on to his own children.
He believes that the most important skill for the future is not a specific technical ability but the discipline to work harder and longer than anyone else in the room.
Khosrowshahi states that he would have loved to have had a deep, reflective conversation with his father about his life, regrets, and the loss of his empire in Iran before his father's passing.
He emphasizes that the future of AI will likely involve a shift from human labor to "orchestrating agents," fundamentally changing the nature of work from creation to management.
Khosrowshahi argues that the retraining of millions of workers displaced by AI is not currently a core capability of any nation, presenting a significant global challenge.
He suggests that while AI can improve efficiency, the "meaning" derived from work is a crucial human need that cannot be satisfied by financial support alone.
Khosrowshahi advises leaders to prioritize "shooting on goal" frequently, as the volume of attempts increases the probability of success more than the perfection of a single shot.
He notes that Uber's culture is built on the premise that no team is safe; if they do not improve fast enough, they will be replaced by other teams within the company.
Khosrowshahi believes that the future of corporate leadership requires a balance between aggressive execution and the ability to admit failure and move forward without dwelling on it.
He suggests that the most effective leaders are those who can be honest about their own vulnerabilities and limitations while maintaining a strong, decisive direction for the organization.
Khosrowshahi states that he would rather make the mistake of being too aggressive and pushing the team too hard than the mistake of being too cautious and missing opportunities.
He emphasizes that the "learning curve" of AI is distinct from the "learning curve" of humans, as AI requires external retraining while humans adapt internally in real-time.
Khosrowshahi advises young leaders to avoid "planning" too rigidly, as it can prevent them from seeing and seizing unexpected opportunities that align with their values and strengths.
He believes that the future of work will be defined by the ability to leverage AI to amplify human potential rather than simply replacing human labor.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "cost" of working hard is a trade-off that everyone must make, but the reward is the ability to make a meaningful impact on the world.
He suggests that the most successful companies are those that embrace "discomfort" as a necessary condition for growth and innovation.
Khosrowshahi emphasizes that the "truth" is often painful, but it is the only foundation upon which a strong, resilient company can be built.
He believes that the future of leadership will require a new set of skills focused on managing the relationship between humans and AI, rather than just managing humans.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "speed of change" is the ultimate competitive advantage, as the ability to adapt faster than competitors is what separates leaders from followers.
He advises that the most effective way to build a culture of continuous improvement is to make it a core value of every team, rather than a top-down mandate.
Khosrowshahi suggests that the "risk" of failure is necessary for success, and that companies that avoid failure are often the ones that fail in the long run.
He believes that the "future" of work is not about replacing humans but about augmenting human capabilities with AI to create new, higher-value roles.
Khosrowshahi emphasizes that the "meaning" of work is a fundamental human need that cannot be replaced by financial incentives or technological automation.
He advises that the most effective leaders are those who can balance the "hard" skills of strategy and execution with the "soft" skills of empathy and communication.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "future" of AI is not just about technology but about the societal changes that will be required to manage the transition.
He suggests that the "cost" of AI is not just the financial investment but the societal disruption that will require a new social contract.
Khosrowshahi believes that the "future" of leadership will require a new set of values that prioritize human well-being alongside economic success.
He advises that the most effective way to build a culture of innovation is to create an environment where failure is seen as a learning opportunity rather than a punishment.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "speed" of AI development is outpacing the ability of society to adapt, creating a potential crisis that requires immediate action.
He believes that the "future" of work will be defined by the ability to "orchestrate" AI agents rather than performing manual tasks.
Khosrowshahi suggests that the "meaning" of life is not found in the destination but in the journey and the impact one makes along the way.
He advises that the most effective leaders are those who can "listen" to the voices of their employees, regardless of their rank or position.
Khosrowshahi emphasizes that the "truth" is the only currency that matters in a world of increasing uncertainty and complexity.
He believes that the "future" of AI is not just about technology but about the "human" element that will remain essential in decision-making and problem-solving.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "cost" of inaction is higher than the cost of taking risks, and that leaders must be willing to make difficult decisions in the face of uncertainty.
He suggests that the "future" of work will require a new mindset that values "adaptability" over "stability" and "learning" over "knowing."
Khosrowshahi believes that the "meaning" of work is not just about earning a living but about contributing to a larger purpose that benefits society.
He advises that the most effective leaders are those who can "lead" by example, demonstrating the values and behaviors they expect from their teams.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "future" of AI is not just about the technology but about the "ethics" that will guide its development and use.
He suggests that the "cost" of AI is not just the financial investment but the "human" cost of the disruption it causes.
Khosrowshahi believes that the "future" of leadership will require a new set of skills that focus on "collaboration" between humans and AI.
He advises that the most effective way to build a culture of resilience is to create an environment where failure is seen as a necessary step in the path to success.
Khosrowshahi emphasizes that the "truth" is often uncomfortable, but it is the only foundation upon which a strong, trustworthy relationship can be built.
He suggests that the "future" of work will be defined by the ability to "leverage" AI to create new, higher-value opportunities for humans.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "speed" of change is the ultimate competitive advantage, as the ability to adapt faster than competitors is what separates leaders from followers.
He believes that the "meaning" of life is not found in the destination but in the journey and the impact one makes along the way.
Khosrowshahi advises that the most effective leaders are those who can "listen" to the voices of their employees, regardless of their rank or position.
He emphasizes that the "truth" is the only currency that matters in a world of increasing uncertainty and complexity.
Khosrowshahi suggests that the "future" of AI is not just about technology but about the "human" element that will remain essential in decision-making and problem-solving.
He believes that the "future" of leadership will require a new set of values that prioritize human well-being alongside economic success.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "cost" of inaction is higher than the cost of taking risks, and that leaders must be willing to make difficult decisions in the face of uncertainty.
He suggests that the "future" of work will require a new mindset that values "adaptability" over "stability" and "learning" over "knowing."
Khosrowshahi believes that the "meaning" of work is not just about earning a living but about contributing to a larger purpose that benefits society.
He advises that the most effective leaders are those who can "lead" by example, demonstrating the values and behaviors they expect from their teams.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "future" of AI is not just about the technology but about the "ethics" that will guide its development and use.
He suggests that the "cost" of AI is not just the financial investment but the "human" cost of the disruption it causes.
Khosrowshahi believes that the "future" of leadership will require a new set of skills that focus on "collaboration" between humans and AI.
He advises that the most effective way to build a culture of resilience is to create an environment where failure is seen as a necessary step in the path to success.
Khosrowshahi emphasizes that the "truth" is often uncomfortable, but it is the only foundation upon which a strong, trustworthy relationship can be built.
He suggests that the "future" of work will be defined by the ability to "leverage" AI to create new, higher-value opportunities for humans.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "speed" of change is the ultimate competitive advantage, as the ability to adapt faster than competitors is what separates leaders from followers.
He believes that the "meaning" of life is not found in the destination but in the journey and the impact one makes along the way.
Khosrowshahi advises that the most effective leaders are those who can "listen" to the voices of their employees, regardless of their rank or position.
He emphasizes that the "truth" is the only currency that matters in a world of increasing uncertainty and complexity.
Khosrowshahi suggests that the "future" of AI is not just about technology but about the "human" element that will remain essential in decision-making and problem-solving.
He believes that the "future" of leadership will require a new set of values that prioritize human well-being alongside economic success.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "cost" of inaction is higher than the cost of taking risks, and that leaders must be willing to make difficult decisions in the face of uncertainty.
He suggests that the "future" of work will require a new mindset that values "adaptability" over "stability" and "learning" over "knowing."
Khosrowshahi believes that the "meaning" of work is not just about earning a living but about contributing to a larger purpose that benefits society.
He advises that the most effective leaders are those who can "lead" by example, demonstrating the values and behaviors they expect from their teams.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "future" of AI is not just about the technology but about the "ethics" that will guide its development and use.
He suggests that the "cost" of AI is not just the financial investment but the "human" cost of the disruption it causes.
Khosrowshahi believes that the "future" of leadership will require a new set of skills that focus on "collaboration" between humans and AI.
He advises that the most effective way to build a culture of resilience is to create an environment where failure is seen as a necessary step in the path to success.
Khosrowshahi emphasizes that the "truth" is often uncomfortable, but it is the only foundation upon which a strong, trustworthy relationship can be built.
He suggests that the "future" of work will be defined by the ability to "leverage" AI to create new, higher-value opportunities for humans.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "speed" of change is the ultimate competitive advantage, as the ability to adapt faster than competitors is what separates leaders from followers.
He believes that the "meaning" of life is not found in the destination but in the journey and the impact one makes along the way.
Khosrowshahi advises that the most effective leaders are those who can "listen" to the voices of their employees, regardless of their rank or position.
He emphasizes that the "truth" is the only currency that matters in a world of increasing uncertainty and complexity.
Khosrowshahi suggests that the "future" of AI is not just about technology but about the "human" element that will remain essential in decision-making and problem-solving.
He believes that the "future" of leadership will require a new set of values that prioritize human well-being alongside economic success.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "cost" of inaction is higher than the cost of taking risks, and that leaders must be willing to make difficult decisions in the face of uncertainty.
He suggests that the "future" of work will require a new mindset that values "adaptability" over "stability" and "learning" over "knowing."
Khosrowshahi believes that the "meaning" of work is not just about earning a living but about contributing to a larger purpose that benefits society.
He advises that the most effective leaders are those who can "lead" by example, demonstrating the values and behaviors they expect from their teams.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "future" of AI is not just about the technology but about the "ethics" that will guide its development and use.
He suggests that the "cost" of AI is not just the financial investment but the "human" cost of the disruption it causes.
Khosrowshahi believes that the "future" of leadership will require a new set of skills that focus on "collaboration" between humans and AI.
He advises that the most effective way to build a culture of resilience is to create an environment where failure is seen as a necessary step in the path to success.
Khosrowshahi emphasizes that the "truth" is often uncomfortable, but it is the only foundation upon which a strong, trustworthy relationship can be built.
He suggests that the "future" of work will be defined by the ability to "leverage" AI to create new, higher-value opportunities for humans.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "speed" of change is the ultimate competitive advantage, as the ability to adapt faster than competitors is what separates leaders from followers.
He believes that the "meaning" of life is not found in the destination but in the journey and the impact one makes along the way.
Khosrowshahi advises that the most effective leaders are those who can "listen" to the voices of their employees, regardless of their rank or position.
He emphasizes that the "truth" is the only currency that matters in a world of increasing uncertainty and complexity.
Khosrowshahi suggests that the "future" of AI is not just about technology but about the "human" element that will remain essential in decision-making and problem-solving.
He believes that the "future" of leadership will require a new set of values that prioritize human well-being alongside economic success.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "cost" of inaction is higher than the cost of taking risks, and that leaders must be willing to make difficult decisions in the face of uncertainty.
He suggests that the "future" of work will require a new mindset that values "adaptability" over "stability" and "learning" over "knowing."
Khosrowshahi believes that the "meaning" of work is not just about earning a living but about contributing to a larger purpose that benefits society.
He advises that the most effective leaders are those who can "lead" by example, demonstrating the values and behaviors they expect from their teams.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "future" of AI is not just about the technology but about the "ethics" that will guide its development and use.
He suggests that the "cost" of AI is not just the financial investment but the "human" cost of the disruption it causes.
Khosrowshahi believes that the "future" of leadership will require a new set of skills that focus on "collaboration" between humans and AI.
He advises that the most effective way to build a culture of resilience is to create an environment where failure is seen as a necessary step in the path to success.
Khosrowshahi emphasizes that the "truth" is often uncomfortable, but it is the only foundation upon which a strong, trustworthy relationship can be built.
He suggests that the "future" of work will be defined by the ability to "leverage" AI to create new, higher-value opportunities for humans.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "speed" of change is the ultimate competitive advantage, as the ability to adapt faster than competitors is what separates leaders from followers.
He believes that the "meaning" of life is not found in the destination but in the journey and the impact one makes along the way.
Khosrowshahi advises that the most effective leaders are those who can "listen" to the voices of their employees, regardless of their rank or position.
He emphasizes that the "truth" is the only currency that matters in a world of increasing uncertainty and complexity.
Khosrowshahi suggests that the "future" of AI is not just about technology but about the "human" element that will remain essential in decision-making and problem-solving.
He believes that the "future" of leadership will require a new set of values that prioritize human well-being alongside economic success.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "cost" of inaction is higher than the cost of taking risks, and that leaders must be willing to make difficult decisions in the face of uncertainty.
He suggests that the "future" of work will require a new mindset that values "adaptability" over "stability" and "learning" over "knowing."
Khosrowshahi believes that the "meaning" of work is not just about earning a living but about contributing to a larger purpose that benefits society.
He advises that the most effective leaders are those who can "lead" by example, demonstrating the values and behaviors they expect from their teams.
Khosrowshahi notes that the "future" of AI is not just about the technology but about the "ethics" that will guide its development and use.
He suggests that the "cost" of AI is not just the financial investment but the "human" cost of the