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Dara Khosrowshahi on hard work and values: interview summary

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

The Diary Of A CEO · Feb 23, 2026 · about 103 min

Uploaded Feb 23, 2026 · 824.6K views (as of Oct 30, 2026)

Good value given

Khosrowshahi says the most important skill in life is working hard.
He wrote Uber's value do the right thing himself.
He was born in Iran and fled after the revolution.
He says turnarounds always take longer than you think.
He sees AI and autonomous vehicles as both challenge and opportunity.

What value did Dara Khosrowshahi write himself for Uber?

When Uber reset its values a few years into his time as CEO, most came from crowdsourced input. One he wrote himself: do the right thing, period. He says it needed no long explanation.

Worth watching?Good value given. A frank talk on hard work, resetting Uber's values and AI's effect on jobs. His one value, do the right thing, is the standout.

ActionableLessons

Actionable

Write one value for your team in five words or fewer.
Tell people clearly when they aren't performing.
Expect a turnaround to take longer than planned.
Protect one family meal a day.

Lessons

Hard work separates the best.
Simple values stick.
Turnarounds are slow.
Respect people at every level.

Quick answer

Dara Khosrowshahi sat down with The Diary Of A CEO for this interview, published Feb 23, 2026. Here's our summary in our own words: a verdict, the answer to the big question, 5 takeaways, Actionable and Lessons tabs, then the stories, frameworks and how to use them.

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Watch the interview

Watch on YouTube: Uber CEO: I Have To Be Honest, AI Will Replace 9.4 Million Jobs At Uber! - Dara Khosrowshahi

Channel: The Diary Of A CEO. Published Feb 23, 2026. About 103 minutes.

Who is Dara Khosrowshahi?

Dara Khosrowshahi became Uber's CEO in 2017 after running Expedia.

This is an episode of The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett.

Key stories from the interview

He recalls fleeing Iran as a child.
He tells how a leader who knew everyone's name shaped him.
He explains the Uber values reset.
He talks about AI and jobs at Uber.

Frameworks and ideas

Work hard: the core skill.
Do the right thing.
Exponential both ways.
Underestimated and hungry.

In their words (paraphrased)

The skill of working hard.
It was do the right thing. Period.
Curves down are exponential as well.

How to apply this

Write your team's values and cut any that every company says.
Learn the names of people you work with across the company.
Plan your next big change with extra time.

A note on this summary

This page reports what was said in the interview, in our own words. Lines under 'In their words' are paraphrased from the transcript, so check the video for exact wording.

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FAQ: questions people ask

What Uber value did Dara Khosrowshahi write himself?

Do the right thing, period.

What does he call the most important skill?

The skill of working hard.

Is the Dara Khosrowshahi Diary of a CEO interview worth watching?

Good value given. Frank and practical.