1 year ago
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When Uber archetypal approached now-CEO Dara Khosrowshahi astir starring the company, helium ignored the call.
It was 2017, and the rideshare app was going done a "historically hard time," Khosrowshahi told LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky successful a recent interview. Uber was facing a litany of problems, including sexual harassment allegations, an FBI probe and a slew of firings related to a workplace civilization investigation, conscionable to sanction a few.
"When I archetypal got the call, my archetypal thought was, 'Heck no,'" helium said. "I thought, 'Why would I ever bash that?'"
Khosrowshahi wasn't connected the marketplace for a caller job, either. He was entering his twelfth twelvemonth arsenic Expedia's CEO, and inactive "having a large time," helium told Roslansky.
He was prepared to telephone Uber's committee of directors and instrumentality himself retired of the moving for CEO — until 1 speech with a person changed his mind.
That person happened to beryllium Daniel Ek, laminitis and CEO of Spotify.
The brace were catching up implicit cocktails astatine an investors league erstwhile Ek asked if Uber had called him yet, revealing that helium had recommended Khosrowshahi for the CEO gig.
Khosrowshahi admitted that helium was connected the obstruction astir joining Uber due to the fact that helium was blessed astatine Expedia. Then, "Daniel looked astatine maine with his cold, Scandinavian eyes and said, 'You cognize Dara, since erstwhile is beingness astir being happy? It's astir having impact. You person to marque an impact,'" helium said.
That speech with Ek was a "special moment" that made Khosrowshahi rethink what helium wanted retired of his career, helium added. Even though helium was contented starring Expedia, Khosrowshahi realized that steering Uber, 1 of the astir influential, fastest-growing businesses astatine the time, done its drawstring of crises, would let him to person an "outsized impact" connected the world.
The pursuing morning, Khosrowshahi called the caput huntsman backmost — and successful August 2017, helium was announced arsenic Uber's caller CEO, aft a unanimous ballot from the board.
Early connected successful his tenure astatine Uber, Khosrowshahi revamped the company's taste norms, ditching the "growth astatine each costs" ethos popularized by Travis Kalanick, his predecessor and the ridesharing app's co-founder, successful favour of principles similar "Build with heart" and "Do the close thing."
While Uber continues to look challenges ranging from lawsuits to driver strikes, the company's nationalist representation and profitability has importantly improved nether Khosrowshahi's leadership.
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