Dara Khosrowshahi - Uber's Bet on AVs, AI, and Building a Super-App - [Invest Like the Best, EP.476]
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Why did Dara Khosrowshahi decide to become Uber’s CEO in 2017?
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Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Patrick O'Shaughnessy, and this is Invest Like the Best. This show is an open-ended exploration of markets, ideas, stories, and strategies that will help you better invest both your time and your money.
How did Dara turn the chaos of Uber’s first days into an organized strategy?
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My guest today is Dara Khadrashahi, the CEO of Uber. Before Uber, Dara ran Expedia for 13 years. We start with why he took this job in 2017, and a big part of that story is Daniel Ek, who told him that life is not about happiness, it's about impact. We talk about what the chaos felt like on day one and how his family leaving Iran when he was nine shaped the way he handles pressure today. We spend most of our time on autonomous vehicles and Uber's role as the demand aggregator in a world of physical AI. Dara explains why Uber is a supply-led company, what it will take to win, and why he expects many winners in AVs rather than just one. We also discuss Uber's $10 billion in free cash flow, the push towards a single app for everything, and what he has learned from Allen & Company, Barry Diller, and Reed Hastings.
Please enjoy my great conversation with Dara Khosrowshahi. So I think I have to begin with the story you were just telling me about... how you took the job here, how you heard about it. And the reason I start there is because I want to know what the company felt like to you when you showed up, how that's evolved, and then very importantly, what the current moment feels like, which I think is the most interesting question for the business possible. But I love the origins, so I would love to hear, how did you hear about this job in the first place? What was the backstory?
Yeah, so I've been at Expedia for 13 years, CEO working with Barry Diller, and loved the experience, and I loved where I was. At the time, like Uber was in the news all the time, right? It was in the business news, if you're interested. So obviously I was reading about the situation at Uber. It seemed pretty chaotic and pretty difficult. And then a headhunter called me out of the blue. and said, are you interested in the Uber CEO job? And at the time I said, you know, no effing way. Who would even think about it at the time? And I had a considerably lower profile, as you can imagine. So I kind of blew it off. I was at the Sun Valley Conference, Allen & Company Conference, and was having a drink with Daniel Eck and my wife.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why did Dara Khosrowshahi decide to become Uber’s CEO in 2017?
0:01–1:39
2
How did Dara turn the chaos of Uber’s first days into an organized strategy?
1:39–4:40
3
What personal experiences shaped Dara’s approach to stress and leadership?
4:40–7:53
4
Why does Uber view itself as a supply‑led company in the autonomous‑vehicle race?
7:53–11:02
5
How is Uber building the ecosystem (financing, insurance, charging) for AVs?
11:02–14:11
6
What does the future of Uber’s super‑app (mobility, Eats, hotels, travel) look like?
14:11–19:16
7
How does Uber balance massive free‑cash‑flow allocation between growth, AI, and buybacks?
19:16–23:02
8
What leadership lessons did Dara learn from Barry Diller, the Allen & Co. partners, and Reed Hastings?
23:02–1:07:33
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy
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