Dara Khosrowshahi on replacing Uber drivers — and himself — with AI

In this episode of Decoder, Nilay Patel sits down with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to explore how AI is reshaping Uber’s business model, organizational structure, and long-term vision. Khosrowshahi discusses Uber’s expansion beyond ridesharing into travel bookings via a partnership with Expedia, personal shopping, and in-car amenities—positioning the app as an 'everything app' for mobility and lifestyle. He emphasizes a strategic shift toward platform integration, where users engage with both rides and delivery, driving higher retention and spending. On AI, Khosrowshahi reveals that while consumer-facing agentic integrations (like calling Uber via ChatGPT) remain underwhelming, internal AI adoption is accelerating—especially in customer service, where policies are being replaced by outcome-based prompts for AI agents. He acknowledges the existential risk of AI replacing human roles, including his own, but remains confident in human-AI collaboration. Uber is investing heavily in autonomous vehicles through partnerships with Rivian, Lucid, and others, betting on a multi-player future rather than a single dominant AV platform. Despite concerns about job displacement, Khosrowshahi believes driver employment will grow due to new, complex use cases like personal shopping. The conversation underscores a broader theme: AI isn’t just a tool but a catalyst for rethinking organizational design, risk-taking, and the future of work.