Dara Khosrowshahi – Uber Scandals

November 9, 2024November 9, 2024

Flawed sequencing in Khosrowshahi hiring, and generous compensation

Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped (p.389) reports that the public had learned that Uber’s board wanted Khosrowshahi as its next CEO — before he and the company had agreed on terms. As a result, Khosrowshahi was in a particularly strong position to negotiate high payment.

Isaac reports that if Khosrowshahi was able to take Uber public by the end of 2019 at a valuation of $120 billion, he would be paid more than $100 million. But when Uber went public, its IPO price was $45 per share, and it sank as low as $22 in both 2020 and 2022.

November 8, 2024November 9, 2024

Uber board staged a final vote to pretend unanimity in CEO selection

Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped (p. 386) reports that as the Uber Board of Directors chose Dara Khosrowshahi, the vote was five to three over Meg Whitman. To claim that the vote was anonymous, they agreed to cast a final ballot and all then vote for the same candidate.

March 6, 2018March 14, 2018

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s Tweet criticized as “insulting” and “destroy[ing] months of hard work”

Responding to a study by MIT researchers that found low earnings by Uber drivers, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi replied:

MIT = Mathematically Incompetent Theories (at least as it pertains to ride-sharing).

Inc.com criticized Khosrowshahi’s response, calling that Tweet inconsistent with a company “eager to learn from its mistakes and play nice with others” and questioning Khosrowshahi’s “mocking tone.”