Uber CEO: I Have To Be Honest, AI Will Replace 9.4 Million Jobs At Uber!

In this episode of The Diary of a CEO, Steven Bartlett sits down with Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber, for a profound conversation about leadership, family legacy, and the future of work in an AI-driven world. Khosrowshahi opens up about how his family's escape from Iran in 1978 shaped his entire approach to risk and resilience. That experience of uncertainty and loss became the foundation for his ability to lead Uber through one of the most challenging periods in the company's history.

When Khosrowshahi took over as CEO, Uber was hemorrhaging money, losing $3 billion annually. He implemented a wartime leadership strategy focused on radical transparency and uncomfortable truths. Rather than sugarcoating problems, he communicated directly with employees and stakeholders about the challenges ahead. This honesty became the catalyst for real change, eventually transforming Uber into a company generating over $9 billion in free cash flow. Khosrowshahi explains that great companies scale through truth-telling, not through comforting lies that mask underlying issues.

One of the most revealing moments comes when Khosrowshahi discusses his experience going undercover as an Uber driver. This direct exposure to the customer and driver experience fundamentally changed how he approached product development and company culture. He emphasizes that leaders must understand their business at ground level, not just from boardroom conversations.

The conversation takes a critical turn when discussing the future of work and AI. Khosrowshahi doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable reality: AI will disrupt approximately 80% of jobs by 2035. More specifically, Uber faces the displacement of 9.4 million drivers as autonomous vehicle technology becomes viable. Rather than pretending this won't happen, Khosrowshahi advocates for honest conversations about how society should prepare for this massive shift.

He also reveals that 90% of Uber's coders now rely on AI tools daily, which has fundamentally changed how engineering teams operate. This isn't just about productivity gains, it's about reimagining what coding and engineering mean in an AI-augmented world.

Throughout the episode, Khosrowshahi shares valuable insights about leadership culture. He discusses how to build teams that maintain hunger and continuous improvement, how to set goals that actually work, and why leadership alignment is critical when things break down. He also addresses whether engineers make better CEOs and what separates truly great employees from good ones.

The episode culminates in practical career advice for young people that Bartlett and Khosrowshahi agree is rarely discussed. This conversation balances visionary thinking about the future with grounded, actionable wisdom about building great companies and preparing for a world transformed by automation and artificial intelligence.