In the latest episode of People by WTF, investor and entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath sat down with Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, to discuss leadership, technology, and the future of global mobility.
From rebuilding his life after his family fled Iran during the revolution to leading some of the world’s most iconic companies, Dara reflected on resilience, adaptability, and authentic leadership.
On Leadership & Lessons: Dara credited Barry Diller, his mentor at Expedia, for instilling the importance of depth and going to the source. He emphasized the value of building teams that experiment fast but later scale through systems and engineering.
On AI & Travel: Dara was candid about the stagnation in online travel booking and sees AI as the next big disruptor. He envisions agentic AI revolutionizing travel discovery, booking, and personalization while eliminating friction in customer experience.
On Uber’s India Strategy: India remains Uber’s third-largest market with over 1.4 million drivers. Dara acknowledged local competition from Rapido while stressing Uber’s long-term commitment to electrification, innovation, and building city-level liquidity. He recalled the tough call of selling Uber Eats to Zomato, saying it allowed Uber to double down on mobility.
On Mobility’s Future: Dara sees autonomous vehicles and EVs as inevitable disruptors, though the transition will take time. He underscored that true innovation in the sector will come not just from speed of growth but from achieving profitability at scale.
For young founders, his advice was simple: Don’t start by chasing scale. Build small, find product-market fit, and then expand.
Watch the full episode here:
From Iran to Uber CEO | Nikhil Kamath x Dara Khosrowshahi | People by WTF | Ep. 14
By: Arushi Agarwal
