Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

‘I have to tell you I am scared’: Dara Khosrowshahi says in a memo to Expedia’s staff that he has finally been hired at Uber

The CEO of the online travel service said he has accepted the job as Uber CEO.

New Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in Sun Valley, Idaho
New Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in Sun Valley, Idaho
Dara Khosrowshahi is in at Uber.
Scott Olson / Getty

In a memo to his employees at Expedia, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he had officially taken the job as CEO of Uber.

Uber also released a memo on the hiring, after its board made an offer to him Sunday, which was first reported on Recode.

“This has been one of the toughest decisions of my life,” wrote Khosrowshahi, in a missive obtained by Recode, to his staff at the online travel service. “I’ve had the privilege to run Expedia for 12+ years now, and most of you who have been on this journey with me know it has not been easy going.”

Nice. But even more eloquently, he noted: “I have to tell you I am scared. I’ve been here at Expedia for so long that I’ve forgotten what life is like outside this place. But the times of greatest learning for me have been when I’ve been through big changes, or taken on new roles — you have to move out of your comfort zone and develop muscles that you didn’t know you had.”

After being offered the job on Sunday by the board of the car-hailing company, Khosrowshahi has since been negotiating his contract.

“We’re really fortunate to gain a leader with Dara’s experience, talent and vision,” said the Uber board in a joint statement. “The Board and the Executive Leadership Team are confident that Dara is the best person to lead Uber into the future building world-class products, transforming cities, and adding value to the lives of drivers and riders around the world while continuously improving our culture and making Uber the best place to work.”

In a separate statement, former Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick — who was ousted from his job by angry shareholders two months ago — congratulated Khosrowshahi.

“With a deep passion for team building, Dara grew Expedia into one of the world’s most successful travel and technology platforms,” he said in a statement. “Casting a vote for the new chief executive was a big moment for me and I couldn’t be happier to pass the torch to such an inspiring leader.”

Hopefully, that means Kalanick won’t call Khosrowshahi, who will call him going forward.

And, of course, Arianna Huffington tweeted congrats and also the Uber statement.

So, now it’s official, because Arianna said so! Look for the all-hands meeting with Khosrowshahi’s new Uber employees tomorrow.


This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Podcasts
Are humanoid robots all hype?Are humanoid robots all hype?
Podcast
Podcasts

AI is making them better — but they’re not going to be doing your chores anytime soon.

By Avishay Artsy and Sean Rameswaram
Future Perfect
The old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemicThe old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemic
Future Perfect

Glycol vapors, explained.

By Shayna Korol
Future Perfect
Elon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wantsElon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wants
Future Perfect

It’s not about who wins. It’s about the dirty laundry you air along the way.

By Sara Herschander
Life
Why banning kids from AI isn’t the answerWhy banning kids from AI isn’t the answer
Life

What kids really need in the age of artificial intelligence.

By Anna North
Culture
Anthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque messAnthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque mess
Culture

“Your AI monster ate all our work. Now you’re trying to pay us off with this piece of garbage that doesn’t work.”

By Constance Grady
Future Perfect
Some deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapySome deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapy
Future Perfect

A medical field that almost died is quietly fixing one disease at a time.

By Bryan Walsh