This Week in Startups

Dara Khosrowshahi, Bill Gurley, Brad Gerstner, & Jason Calacanis on Uber's growth and future | E1878

Jan 12, 2024

01:14:57

Snipd AI

Dara Khosrowshahi, Bill Gurley, Brad Gerstner, & Jason Calacanis discuss Uber's growth, future plans, and finding the right CEO. They talk about Uber's early magic, Dara's initial reservations about joining, industry dynamics, the use of secondaries, and the importance of diversifying engineering talent for global growth.

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Quick takeaways

Dara Khosrowshahi initially hesitated to become Uber's CEO but was convinced by the company's impact and potential.

The importance of network effects in driving growth and sustainability in Uber's business model was emphasized by Bill Gurley and Brad Gerstner.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being leveraged by Uber to optimize developer productivity, enhance customer service, and explore new business ventures.

Deep dives

Dara Khosrowshahi's Journey as Uber's CEO

Dara Khosrowshahi describes his initial hesitation to take on the role of CEO at Uber, but was convinced by the impact and potential of the company. He reflects on the challenges he faced in putting out fires and growing the business. Khosrowshahi discusses the transformation of Uber's financials, going from significant losses to profitability. He credits the discipline and focus on core competencies, such as building marketplaces and leveraging data, as key factors in Uber's success. He also highlights the significance of the company's membership program, Uber One, and the upselling opportunities provided by AI algorithms.

Introduction

2min

Early Investment in Uber

8min

Discussion on Payroll and HR Challenges for Small Business Owners and Introduction of Gusto

2min

Finding the Right CEO

9min

Running a Public Company, Comfort in the Current Environment, and an Advertisement for Pain Brush Loans

3min

Change in Industry Dynamics

6min

Understanding Stock Prices and High Expectations

3min

The Use of Secondaries in the Tech Industry

12min

Diversifying Engineering Talent for Global Growth

14min

10.

Bill Gurley joins the board of Zillow

17min

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Today’s show:

Dara Khosrowshahi joins Bill Gurley, Brad Gerstner, and Jason Calacanis to discuss his initial reservations about joining Uber and how he overcame them (14:57), the early magic of Uber that captivated investors (22:36), a deep dive into Uber's future plans (45:50), and much more!

Timestamps:

(0:00) Dara Khosrowshahi joins Bill Gurley, Brad Gerstner, & Jason Calacanis to discuss all things Uber

(2:41) Setting the stage for Uber entering 2024

(4:52) Untold parts of Uber's story

(09:38) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://www.Gusto.com/twist

(11:38) Bill Gurley discusses Dara's selection as CEO

(14:57) Dara's initial reservations about joining Uber and how he overcame them

(20:57) Dara’s discomfort in the free-money environment of ZIRP

(21:43) Paintbrush - Visit http://www.getpaintbrush.com to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes

(22:36) Exploring the early magic of Uber that captivated investors

(26:27) How valuations impact founder mindset

(30:49) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/twist