Dara Khosrowshahi, who became the CEO of Uber in 2017 and completely transformed the culture, didn’t always want to join the ride-hailing app. The former CEO of Expedia was approached to lead Uber when the company was battling allegations of sexual harassment, an investigation by the FBI and the sacking of staff owing to a workplace culture inquiry, according to a then CNBC report.
In a recent interview with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky for the inaugural episode of a newsletter The Path, Dara revealed that his first reaction to the job offer was “Heck no!” He was on a roll clocking his 12th year as CEO of Expedia and was not keen on switching jobs. He was all set to inform Uber’s board of directors to remove him from the running for the position.
So, how did he end up as Uber CEO? A conversation with friend and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek changed his career outlook. While meeting over cocktails during an investors’ conference, Daniel revealed that he had proposed Dara’s name for the job.
Upon hearing the reason for rejecting the Uber CEO role because he was happy at Expedia, Daniel looked at him with his “cold, Scandinavian eyes and said, ‘You know Dara, since when is life about being happy? It’s about having an impact. You have to make an impact,” Dara told Roslansky in the interview.
It helped Dara reshape his perspective on career goals and realise that steering Uber out of its troubles will help him leave an “outsized impact”. The decision was made and he reverted to Uber the next morning. Dara was unanimously voted by the board to take charge as Uber CEO in August 2017
From foraying into new verticals to leading the company’s IPO and opting for ‘build with heart’ and ‘do the right thing’ mindset instead of ‘growth at all costs’ principle of ex-CEO Travis Kalanick, there has been no looking back for Dara and his leadership.