Dara Khosrowshahi

Dara Khosrowshahi
Khosrowshahi in 2019
Dara Khosrowshahi
Born	28 5, 1969
Birthplace	Tehran, Iran
Nationality	Iranian, American
Occupation	Chief Executive Officer of Uber
Title	Chief Executive Officer
Employer	Uber Technologies, Inc.
Known for	CEO of Uber, former CEO of Expedia Group
Education	Brown University (BS)
Spouse(s)	Template:Marriage
Children	4

Dara Khosrowshahi (Template:Lang-fa; born May 28, 1969) is an Iranian-American business executive who serves as the chief executive officer of Uber Technologies, Inc. Born in Tehran, Iran, Khosrowshahi and his family fled the country during the Iranian Revolution of 1979, eventually settling in the United States, where he would build a career in the technology and travel industries. Before joining Uber in 2017, he served for over a decade as the CEO of Expedia Group, overseeing the growth of one of the world's largest online travel companies. Khosrowshahi was selected to lead Uber at a time when the ride-hailing company was embroiled in a series of corporate scandals and leadership crises, and he has been credited with stabilizing the company's operations, guiding it through its initial public offering in 2019, and steering it toward profitability. Under his leadership, Uber has expanded its operations to more than 70 countries and grown its monthly active user base to over 200 million. He has also served on the boards of BET.com, Hotels.com, and The New York Times Company.

Early Life

Dara Khosrowshahi was born on May 28, 1969, in Tehran, Iran, into a wealthy and prominent Iranian family. His uncle, Hassan Khosrowshahi, is a well-known Canadian businessman. The Khosrowshahi family owned a large conglomerate in Iran, but the Iranian Revolution of 1979 upended their lives. When the revolution swept through the country, the family's businesses were seized, and the Khosrowshahis were forced to flee.

Khosrowshahi was approximately nine years old at the time of the revolution. The family initially relocated to the south of France before eventually emigrating to the United States. They settled in the New York area, where Khosrowshahi grew up and attended school. The experience of displacement and starting over in a new country shaped his worldview and, by his own later accounts, influenced his approach to leadership and risk-taking.

The Khosrowshahi family adapted to life in the United States, and despite having lost their business holdings in Iran, they rebuilt their lives. Dara Khosrowshahi has been recognized by the U.S. Embassy in Iran as a prominent Iranian-American. He became an American citizen and has spoken publicly about how his immigrant background informs his perspective as a business leader.

Education

Khosrowshahi attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. His time at Brown provided the academic foundation for his subsequent career in finance and technology. After graduating from Brown, Khosrowshahi entered the world of investment banking and corporate finance, launching a career that would eventually lead him to the upper echelons of the American technology industry.

Career

Early Career and Allen & Company

After completing his studies at Brown University, Khosrowshahi began his career in investment banking. He joined Allen & Company, a boutique investment bank based in New York City that specializes in media, entertainment, and technology deals. At Allen & Company, he developed expertise in corporate finance, mergers, and acquisitions—skills that would prove instrumental in his later executive roles. His work at the firm brought him into contact with major players in the technology and media industries and gave him an extensive network of business relationships.

It was through his work at Allen & Company that Khosrowshahi came into contact with Barry Diller, the media mogul who controlled IAC/InterActiveCorp, a holding company with interests in a range of internet businesses. This relationship would define the next phase of Khosrowshahi's career.

Expedia Group

Khosrowshahi's association with Barry Diller and IAC led him to the online travel industry. IAC owned Expedia, one of the earliest and most prominent online travel agencies. Khosrowshahi rose through the ranks at IAC and its subsidiary companies, and in 2005, he was named the chief executive officer of Expedia, Inc., when the company was spun off as an independent publicly traded entity.

As CEO of Expedia, Khosrowshahi oversaw a period of significant expansion. The company grew into the Expedia Group, a portfolio of brands that included Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, Trivago, and several others. Under his leadership, Expedia became one of the largest travel companies in the world by revenue and market capitalization. He was known for executing an aggressive acquisition strategy, bringing numerous competing brands under the Expedia umbrella to create a diversified portfolio of travel fare aggregators and booking platforms.

Khosrowshahi's tenure at Expedia also drew attention for his compensation. In 2015, he received a pay package that made him one of the highest-paid CEOs in the United States, drawing scrutiny from governance watchdogs and the business press. He led Expedia for more than twelve years, a long stint by the standards of public company CEOs, and built a reputation as a capable and experienced leader of large-scale technology businesses. His departure from Expedia to join Uber reportedly required significant financial incentives, as he was estimated to need at least $200 million to compensate for the stock and equity he would forfeit by leaving Expedia.

Appointment as CEO of Uber

In August 2017, Uber's board of directors selected Khosrowshahi as the company's new chief executive officer, replacing co-founder Travis Kalanick, who had resigned amid a cascade of scandals including allegations of a toxic workplace culture, sexual harassment, executive misconduct, and legal disputes. The search for a new CEO had been a highly public and contentious process, with multiple candidates considered, including former General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt and Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman.

The selection of Khosrowshahi was seen by analysts and industry observers as a choice designed to bring stability, corporate governance experience, and credibility to a company in crisis. The Economist noted that the new CEO would need to tackle enormous losses, ongoing lawsuits, and the potential meddling of his predecessor. The Washington Post described him as a "low-key" and "diplomatic" leader in contrast to the combative style that had characterized Uber under Kalanick. The Mercury News similarly profiled him as an experienced dealmaker with a track record of building large technology businesses.

Khosrowshahi's total compensation at Uber for his first full year was reported to be approximately $45 million, though the company's chief operating officer received even more.

Turnaround and IPO

Upon taking the helm at Uber, Khosrowshahi faced a series of urgent challenges: the company was losing approximately $3 billion per year, its reputation was damaged, employee morale was low, and regulatory battles continued to mount in cities around the world. He moved to overhaul the company's internal culture, implement new corporate governance standards, and refocus the business on a path to sustainability.

One of Khosrowshahi's most significant early accomplishments was leading Uber through its initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange in May 2019. The IPO was one of the largest in technology history. On IPO day, Khosrowshahi addressed employees in a letter, reflecting on the milestone and the challenges ahead. The IPO marked a pivotal moment in Uber's transition from a privately held startup to a publicly accountable corporation.

In the years following the IPO, Khosrowshahi oversaw Uber's financial turnaround. The company, which had posted large quarterly losses for years, moved toward profitability under his leadership. He instituted a performance-driven culture, stating publicly that at Uber, employees who do not perform are let go. He also expanded Uber's business lines, with Uber Eats becoming a major revenue driver, and Uber Freight growing as a logistics platform.

Autonomous Vehicles and AI Strategy

Under Khosrowshahi's leadership, Uber has pursued a strategy of partnering with autonomous vehicle companies rather than developing its own self-driving technology in-house, after the company sold its autonomous vehicle unit, Advanced Technologies Group, in 2020. In early 2026, Khosrowshahi publicly stated his prediction that the majority of Uber rides could be operated by autonomous vehicles within 20 years. He has emphasized that business leaders must begin to reckon with the broader economic implications of artificial intelligence and job displacement.

Khosrowshahi has also positioned Uber's food delivery and freight operations as a potential competitive advantage in the emerging robotaxi market, arguing that delivering food and other items could be key to making autonomous vehicles economically viable.

In February 2026, Khosrowshahi drew attention for his comments about corporate adoption of AI, stating that many companies are "play-acting" with artificial intelligence rather than genuinely transforming their operations. He argued that real integration of AI requires "breaking down the rules" and fundamentally restructuring how businesses operate.

Khashoggi Controversy

In November 2019, Khosrowshahi faced significant public backlash after comments he made during an interview with Axios on HBO regarding the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. Khosrowshahi characterized the killing as a "mistake," a description that drew immediate and widespread criticism. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is a major investor in Uber. Khosrowshahi subsequently apologized and clarified his remarks, calling the murder "reprehensible and without justification."

Personal Life

Khosrowshahi has been married twice. His first marriage was to Kathleen Grant; the couple divorced before 2009. In 2012, he married Sydney Shapiro. He has four children.

Khosrowshahi has made political contributions over the years. Federal Election Commission records show donations to various political candidates and committees.

His uncle, Hassan Khosrowshahi, is a Canadian-Iranian businessman who founded the Future Group, a diversified conglomerate based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The family's business acumen spans multiple generations and continents.

Khosrowshahi has spoken publicly about his experience as an immigrant and the influence his family's displacement from Iran had on his outlook. In a 2026 interview on the podcast The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, he discussed his family's escape from Iran, his leadership philosophy at Uber, and the future of the ride-hailing industry in an age of artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles.

Recognition

Khosrowshahi has received recognition from multiple media outlets and business organizations for his leadership and influence. He was named to the San Francisco Business Times Newsmaker 100 list, highlighting him as one of the most notable figures in the San Francisco Bay Area's business community.

His appointment as Uber CEO in 2017 was itself a major media event, covered extensively by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, Bloomberg, CNBC, Fortune, and other major news outlets globally. He has been profiled by Bloomberg for his career trajectory and leadership style.

The U.S. Embassy in Iran has listed Khosrowshahi among prominent Iranian-Americans, recognizing his contributions to American business and industry.

His board memberships have included BET.com, Hotels.com, and The New York Times Company, reflecting his standing in the broader media and technology landscape.

Legacy

Khosrowshahi's tenure at Uber represents one of the more notable corporate turnarounds in recent American business history. When he took over in 2017, the company was widely seen as dysfunctional, facing billion-dollar annual losses, severe reputational damage, and a hostile regulatory environment. Under his leadership, Uber reached profitability, completed one of the largest technology IPOs in history, and expanded its business lines beyond ride-hailing into food delivery, freight logistics, and autonomous vehicle partnerships.

His career arc—from Iranian refugee to the leader of a multinational technology company—has made him a prominent figure in discussions about immigration and the American business landscape. He has been cited as an example of the contributions that immigrant entrepreneurs and executives make to the U.S. economy.

Khosrowshahi's public statements on artificial intelligence and the future of work have also contributed to broader industry conversations. His prediction that autonomous vehicles could operate the majority of Uber rides within 20 years, and his candid assessment that many companies are only "play-acting" with AI, have positioned him as a prominent voice on the intersection of technology, labor, and corporate strategy.

As of 2026, Khosrowshahi continues to serve as CEO of Uber, managing operations in more than 70 countries and overseeing a platform with over 200 million monthly active users.

References

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