Why Uber's CEO is okay with reinventing the bus

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Technology, Business

4.3 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 May 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today, I’m talking with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. We recorded this conversation on the same day Uber announced a big set of product updates, including new options for shared rides. Dara was in New York for all that, so he came to our studio and we did this one together, which always makes for a great episode. If you’ve been listening to Decoder recently, you know that I’m very curious about how service apps like Uber will handle things like AI agents. Dara had a lot of thoughts there. There’s a lot in this one, and Dara didn’t hold back. I think you’re going to like it. Links: Uber’s new bus-like feature is nearly 50 percent cheaper than UberX | Verge An interview with Dara Khosrowshahi | Stratechery Uber preps for Waymo’s robotaxi launch in Atlanta | Verge Uber ends year in the black for the first time ever | Verge Uber’s not out of the woods yet | Verge UberX Share brings carpooling back to NYC and eight other cities | Verge Uber CEO vows to be ‘hardcore’ about costs, slow hiring | Verge Transcript Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Attention investors.
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0:39.0	Complete disclosures available at public.com slash disclosures.
0:47.2	Hello and welcome to Decoder. I'm Neely Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge, and Decoder is my show about big ideas and other problems.
0:53.5	Today, I'm talking with Uber CEO CEO Dara Kosher Shahi.
0:56.2	We recorded this conversation on the same day Uber announced a big set of product updates,
1:00.3	including new options for shared rides and some features to make commuting easier and more predictable.
1:05.5	Dar happened to be in New York for all that, so he came to our studio and we actually did this one together,
1:09.9	which I think always makes for a great episode. As it happens, the traffic in New York that day was truly terrible.
1:16.0	So we started out by talking about how often Dara actually takes Ubers, and what it's like for him
1:20.7	when he goes and serves as an Uber driver, something he does regularly. It turns out there's a lot of
1:26.0	security around an Uber Eats delivery when Dara's behind the wheel. Uber might out there's a lot of security around an Uber-eats delivery
1:27.7	when Dara's behind the wheel. Uber might be the single best example of the major service
1:31.9	apps that boomed into existence in the early part of the smartphone era. I always think of it
	...

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