He's dramatically reshaped Uber's famously "toxic" corporate culture, smoothed relations inside Uber's board and sealed a $9.3 billion investment deal led by Japanese internet giant Softbank. org/10.4135/9781529706642 Uber's co-founder used a "burn the village" approach (as he called it) that built the startup into the behemoth it is today -- an international ride-hailing service in 73 countries with 18,000 employees that's valued by investors at $72 billion. Your wife wore a Slayer T-shirt to your Vegas wedding. In essence, they aren't really employees. In college, you introduced yourself as Darren Kay because you worried that no one could pronounce your name, but then you stopped using it because you worried that it sounded like a porn name. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/16/style/uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi.html. [21], Khosrowshahi is an outspoken critic of the immigration policy of Donald Trump. Next, complete checkout for full access to StartupTalky. Work-life balance and job satisfaction is a reality here!. [4] Ten years later, in 2015, Expedia gave him $90 million in stock options as part of a long-term employment agreement, conditioned on him staying with the company until 2020. He later became chief financial officer at Diller's IAC, the former parent company of Expedia. I think were neighbors at this point and well look over the fence and wave at them and maybe theyll notice us waving, maybe they wont, he said. Expedia is a travel technology company that owns a website on travel fare aggregation. Sometimes I feel like an idiot not answering. Were a lot of brands that came together through mergers and acquisitions and integration and M&A and innovation are not friends. But Whidbey is their happy place. And life on the little island seems pretty sweet (even if, or perhaps because, you cant hail an Uber here). He allows other peoples voices to fill the room., Mr. Khosrowshahi said simply, I just grew up in a circumstance where getting along was the way to survive. (He is not religious but is fascinated by religious narratives. And now the question is, what does the responsibility look like? And I think sometimes leaders get this wrong which is when things are bad and you know one of your teams is having a tough time. He became a US citizen in 1996. Rather, he can simply make mention of past mistakes, allude to how the company can learn from those mistakes, and (perhaps) commit to being more open and transparent going forward. (The company has an arrangement with Arizona State University online to cover tuition for drivers. "He didn't come in guns blazing," says Jessica Bryndza, Uber's global director of people experiences and employer brand. [4] The couple has twin sons, Hayes Epic and Hugo Gubrit. The description of a resourceful leader are as follows: resourceful leaders focus on what they have that is useful, have no use for any knowledge that doesn't apply, and can look stingy or selfish. Things are fine. Dara Khosrowshahi (Persian: , Persian pronunciation:[d' xoso'hi]; born May 28, 1969) is an Iranian-American businessman and the chief executive officer of Uber. Khosrowshahi learned of the hack soon after he came on and told the public in November. Every single comp committee wants to pay their C.E.O. Sundar Pichai is the CEOof both Alphabet and Google. He prefers giving his team credit to swanning. Khosrowshahi's mother raised him and his two brothers on her own during that time. Thereafter, Dara Khosrowshahi took over the charge of the company, and the company scaled new heights under him. Signifyd Success Story: Empowering Companies With Innovative Fraud Protection and Prevention Services, Save Now Buy Later - The New Fintech Business Model. So in 2008/2009 we kept saying, the drumbeat was, the world is crazy. Now she had to go to work at the Madison Avenue Celine. Virtual Embassy Iran. It requires a very strong core culture and our core culture is one about being different its about valuing the employee and then trusting them to do the right thing for the company and so far its worked for us. Dara Khosrowshahi was born in Tehran in May 28, 1969 and is an Iranian-American businessman and the CEO of Expedia, Inc. Khosrowshahi received a B.S. Were going to be fine. There is no doubtKhosrowshahi believes in this adage, too. Overcoming the odds in life is more than a test. These "employees" have become part of the over-used and quintessential definition of the so-called "gig economy." Dara Khosrowshahi, 48, has been the chief executive of the travel site Expedia. [16] He was initially viewed as a "dark horse" candidate in case the initial frontrunners, General Electric's Jeff Immelt and Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Meg Whitman, fell through. Khosrowshahi said his priorities were to meet with the leadership team and fill the many management holes. But a driverless future is a long way off. Kalanick didn't respond to a request for comment.Through the first half of 2017, unsurprisingly, Uber employees exited the company in droves. Theyre reptilian aliens that can shape-shift and control the world, he explained. Continue reading for his edited remarks and watch the GeekWire Summit fireside chat and listen to the podcast below. in electrical and electronics engineering from Brown University, where he was a member of the social fraternity Sigma Chi. Dara Khosrowshahi - Expedia Stint He replaced Kalanick's once-inviolable 14 values, which contained such items as "super pumped" and "always be hustlin'," with eight values focusing on "customer obsession". After four days, Uber and Waymo settled. Hes bold, but in his own way, a less obvious way. This made him the highest-paid executive at that time. Expedia's stock has climbed more than 500% since the 2005 spinoff under the leadership of Khosrowshahi. Jessica Bryndza, Uber's global director of people experiences and employer brand. "Uber choose Dara Khosrowshahi as its CEO", "BRIEF-New York Times says Dara Khosrowshahi to resign from co board in light of his new role as Uber CEO", "Evolution of a dealmaker: Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is PSBJ's Executive of the Year", "Expedia Chief Dara Khosrowshahi Will Be Uber's Next CEO. "[17]:330331, In May 2019, Khosrowshahi led Uber in its initial public offering, which he addressed with employees in a company-wide letter. Khosrowshahi earned an engineering degree from Brown University in 1991, and then worked as an analyst at the investment bank Allen & Company before joining Barry Diller's USA Networks where he eventually became president. Theres a lot of distrust of the United States and I certainly see that. He came into a nightmare, said Barry Diller, who, juggling calls from his yacht, helped him nab the job after the terrible board deadlocked between Meg Whitman and Jeff Immelt. He cares a lot about his customers and makes sure to be connected with them on social media websites and other medians. At Uber, Khosrowshahi's Glassdoor rating has climbed to 96 percent. In the 21st century, every tick-tock of clock counts and in such a scenario eventhe idea of waiti, Success Story of Sundar Pichai | Google CEO, If one were to curate a list of the most powerful personalities in the SiliconValley, it would be incomplete without Sundar Pichai. He took over as the CEO of Uber in 2017; this acquisition made headlines around the world as Uber had offered a whopping 200 million USD to bring him in. Met with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. While MIT said it would rerun its analysis, some criticized Khosrowshahi for a tone-deaf tweet. Lili taught Dara to stay humble. Another leadership style I believe Khosrowshahi possesses is the social style. Uber counters that it's still growing and its revenue is rising. Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Expedia, was appointed to run Uber on August 30, 2017. "One of the hard things in 2017 was that there was so much distraction and so much dysfunction," Ting says. Martin would concoct childrens stories set in faraway kingdoms with magical wishing flowers and golden owls that could stop time. But, as at many companies, Uber's culture reflected the personality of the person at the top: overly aggressive and willing to do anything to win. There are certain times where you should be conservative. He was then the CFO of IAC, the company that acquired USA Networks. The Uber CEO dreams of pushing a button and getting a piano delivered to your home in an hour and a half. Uh lets start with dinner? We have all these independent units all these independent brands that are doing their own thing. [13], In 2016, he was one of the highest paid CEOs in the United States. [10][11], In 1991, Khosrowshahi joined Allen & Company, an investment bank, as an analyst. [12], In June 2013, he received a Pacific Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst & Young. Mr. Khosrowshahi has a game room, where he plays board games and card games with his sons, and he installed a funicular that goes down to the rocky beach on the Puget Sound, which is usually too cold for swimming. "Travis had almost a Rambo-style approach to leadership, which made Uber giant," said Eric Schiffer, a brand management expert and CEO of Reputation Management Consultants. [7] His father was not allowed to leave Iran for 6 years and therefore Khosrowshahi spent his teenage years without seeing his father. We no longer have forced arbitration for claims of sexual harassment or sexual assault, Mr. West said, adding that, in those cases, We no longer use confidentiality agreements.. Leadership; Media assets; Map beacon indicating location switcher. Dara Khosrowshahi seems up to the task, Uber CEO wants employees to 'do the right thing. After the crash, industry insiders questioned Uber's safety standards and its rush to get autonomous vehicles onto public streets. The absence of his father brought the changed Dara, serving as a reinforcement to perform excellently at school. Uber's ability to make money is also an issue. It is a little hard to determine, but Dara definitely shows certain attributes of these two styles. Does he pay attention to politics in Iran, with that country still in the clutches of zealots? [3][4] He is the youngest of the three children of Lili and Asghar (Gary) Khosrowshahi. Get the latest insights directly to your inbox! Building a strong corporate culture and trusting employees to take initiative by using their expertise and creativity are important traits of this leadership style. He has an opportunity to take a stand. Drawing of a court document from the Waymo v. Uber trial showing former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's reported wish list for what he wanted to get from Waymo's self-driving car program -- including all of Waymo's data, source code and a pound of flesh. Khosrowshahi was previously CEO of Expedia Group, a company that owns several travel fare aggregators. You like the casting choices for Showtimes forthcoming Super Pumped show about Uber. Right after taking up the role of the C.E.O. [3], His second cousin, Hassan Khosrowshahi, also fled Iran due to the Iranian Revolution and is now a billionaire. Khosrowshahi expresses this mission in many of his interviews and it shines through in many descriptions of himself and the company on the Internet. Dara was previously CEO of Expedia, which he grew into one of the world's largest online travel companies. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his first political cabinet in late 2015 it was gender-balanced. "These norms came from the bottom up, so employees can feel invested and committed to them, rather than having to follow strict directives from the top. What Is Creator Economy & How Is It Driving Indias GDP? With Khosrowshahi, "Uber is less of ready, fire, aim than they have been. This was his life., Andrew Macdonald, the senior vice president of mobility for Uber, who has worked for both bosses, praised Mr. Khosrowshahi for changing our culture values to do the right thing., Are we as combative as we were seven, eight years ago? "That consistent drum beat those things about transparency, about fairness, about objectivity.". Ill take Traviss side for a minute, which is, I had to come in and be very clear that the company was no longer his. Anyone can read what you share. She thought he was a C.E.O. He is known to come up with and encourage diverse strategies to pump up profitability and influence. My hypothesis is that someone knew that Im a Mets fan.. "I'd never heard of Dara before," Ting says. "Uber is fortunate to have him at the helm. One of Whitman's supporters switched his vote to Khosrowshahi, breaking the deadlock and making him Uber's second full-time CEO. Last Sunday evening, the CEO sent a note to employees telling them Uber . He can only see you if youre moving.. The Khosrowshahi family founded the Alborz Investment Company, which deals with food, trading, distribution and multiple services. Im hoping that that connection can come back again.. Pick, Dara Khosrowshahi, Steps into Brighter Spotlight", "Uber's CEO Comes From What May Be the World's Most Techie Family", "Dara Khosrowshahi, Dad of Silicon Valley", "The amazing life of Uber's new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi from refugee to tech superstar", "Spinoff of Expedia Comes at Tough Time for Its Sector", "Dara Khosrowshahi: Executive Profile & Biography", "Here's One CEO Who Probably Justified His $94 Million Payday", "New Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi: What you need to know", "Uber picks Dara Khosrowshahi as its new boss", "6 things to know about Uber's CEO pick Dara Khosrowshahi", "Uber officially announces Dara Khosrowshahi will be its new CEO", "Uber's New CEO May Get at Least $200 Million to Exit Expedia", "Read Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's Letter to Employees on IPO Day", "Uber CEO calls slaying of Jamal Khashoggi 'a mistake' and compares it to a self-driving car crash", "Uber CEO calls Jamal Khashoggi murder 'serious mistake', Uber gave CEO Dara Khosrowshahi $45 million in total pay last year, but it paid its COO even more, Legality of ridesharing companies by jurisdiction, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dara_Khosrowshahi&oldid=1137916332, Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States, Brown University School of Engineering alumni, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Articles containing Persian-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Kathleen Grant (?2009, divorced), Sydney Shapiro (m. 2012present), This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 01:56. He also met the company's staff-run clubs that support people from different backgrounds. The list of issues at Uber is long and at times rather incredulous. I think Uber is icing on the cake. He also pushed to settle Waymo's high-stakes lawsuit that alleged stolen trade secrets on self-driving cars. A regular member of the list of Prominent Iranian Americans since 2015, his qualities and hardships have put him in rarefied air. That includes blowback from "some of Mr. Kalanick's behavior that continues to plague the company," Harteveldt says, including tension with regulators, drivers and passengers around the world. Our system is called capitalism. They moved to an uncles mansion in Irvington, N.Y., for a couple of months before getting a condo in Tarrytown. She has his name tattooed in Farsi on her wrist, and he has her name tattooed in Hebrew on the back of his neck. "While Uber has revolutionized the way people move in cities around the world, it's equally true that we've got things wrong along the way," Khosrowshahi wrote in a letter to London in September. Travis was a really ferocious competitor. A few weeks ago, Mr. Khosrowshahi rode a bike, delivering for Uber Eats in San Francisco for two days. [18] He also serves on Uber's board of directors. He oversaw the acquisitions of travel sites Orbitz, Travelocity and HomeAway, and quadrupled the company's revenue from $2.1 billion in 2005 to $8.7 billion in 2016. I think theres some unfortunate history there. "Khosrowshahi made nice with London lawmakers after the city revoked Uber's license to operate. His dad had to return to Iran to look after the crumbling family venture, and was stranded in the war-torn country for six years. We sit down with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to discuss the ever-changing state of work. "A lot of us probably thought about leaving at some point," says Wayne Ting, who's worked at Uber for four years and is now Khosrowshahi's chief of staff. It was us and about 10,000 Chinese people looking to get married because its a very, very lucky day there.. Dara Khosrowshahi ( Persian: , Persian pronunciation: [d' xoso'hi]; born May 28, 1969) is an Iranian-American businessman and the chief executive officer of Uber. "If they are eyeing an IPO, they're going to have to show not only a path to profitability but to sustained profitability," says Harteveldt. He cares a lot about his customers and makes sure to be connected with them on social media websites and other medians. Its a big cake and I want it to be really tasty.. I was nervous at first, he said, adding that some of it was fun and some of it was rough. [14][4] In 2016, he donated to the Hillary Victory Fund, Washington Democratic Senator Patty Murray, and the Democratic National Committee. [6], In 1978, just before the Iranian Revolution, his family was targeted for its wealth and his mother decided to leave everything behind and flee the country. "We were all so hopeful for what he could bring, but there were definitely a lot of unknowns. Mr. Khosrowshahis wife, Sydney Shapiro, looked across the kitchen table at her husband with a sultry Lauren Bacall smile. He said he didnt have enough time to be depressed or to feel sorry. As he was frantically trying to figure out if the company already losing billions could survive losing, in some places, 85 percent of its rides business, he discovered a glimmer moving fast: Uber Eats, an arm of the business he had been pouring money into for the previous two years, despite many investors being unhappy about it. All rights reserved. This brings me to my second leadership action. Dara was promoted to Expedia CEO after serving as the Chief Financial Officer of IAC Travel, a division of IAC, which purchased Expedia in 2002 and spun it off in 2005. But he has a chance to potentially do something unique. The two men have a long professional history, having worked together at Expedia when Mr Khosrowshahi was chief executive of the travel company. We went to Las Vegas to get married. "Khosrowshahi, recruited from travel site Expedia, started his turnaround at Uber by talking to people. at Uber, he was quick to calm down critics triggered by the acts of former C.E.O. Dara Khosrowshahi is the CEO of Uber, where he manages the company's fast-growing business in 63 countries around the world and leads a global team of more than 22,000 employees.