Dara Khosrowshahi

Dara Khosrowshahi
The Presidential Office of Ukraine. · CC BY 4.0 · source
Name	Dara Khosrowshahi
Birth date	1969
Birth place	Tehran, Iran
Nationality	United States
Alma mater	Brown University
Occupation	Chief Executive Officer
Years active	1990s–present

Dara Khosrowshahi Dara Khosrowshahi is an Iranian-born American executive known for leading major technology and travel companies. He rose from immigrant roots in Tehran to executive roles in AOL, Expedia Group, and Uber Technologies amid interactions with industry leaders, venture capitalists, and regulatory bodies. His career has intersected with figures and institutions across Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and global transportation networks.

Early life and education

Khosrowshahi was born in Tehran during the late Pahlavi dynasty era and emigrated to the United States amid the Iranian Revolution era, joining diasporic communities in New York City and Teaneck, New Jersey. He attended Brown University, where he studied engineering and computer science-adjacent subjects while engaging with student groups and alumni networks linked to Ivy League institutions and technology incubators. His formative years overlapped with contemporaries who later entered firms like Microsoft, Apple Inc., and Intel, and he cultivated relationships with mentors connected to Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and venture funds in Silicon Valley.

Business career

Khosrowshahi began his professional trajectory at Allen & Company and later joined MediaOne and AOL, where he navigated the dot-com era alongside executives from Yahoo!, eBay, Amazon (company), and Google. At AOL, he worked under leaders tied to mergers and acquisitions involving Time Warner, collaborating with legal teams familiar with Federal Communications Commission matters and corporate advisers from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Following the AOL Time Warner period, he transitioned to the travel sector, engaging with boards and investors connected to Booking Holdings, Priceline Group, and private equity firms such as Silver Lake Partners and TPG Capital.

Leadership at Expedia Group

As CEO of Expedia Group (formerly part of InterActiveCorp spinoffs), Khosrowshahi oversaw businesses including Hotels.com, Orbitz, Trivago, HomeAway, and Vrbo while managing relationships with global partners like Airbnb, Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, IATA, and national tourism boards. He led strategic acquisitions and integrations that involved communications with corporate counsel familiar with Securities and Exchange Commission filings and shareholder activists such as those associated with Elliott Management Corporation and Starboard Value. His tenure required negotiations with antitrust authorities including the Department of Justice and the European Commission as Expedia expanded internationally into markets involving TripAdvisor competitors and regional platforms like Ctrip (now Trip.com Group) and MakeMyTrip.

During this period he also worked closely with technology executives at Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Salesforce, and Adobe Inc. to modernize Expedia's platform, while engaging talent pipelines linked to universities such as Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon University. Strategic partnerships and sponsorships under his leadership involved sports and entertainment entities including FIFA, UEFA, NBA, and streaming services like Netflix and Hulu for promotional campaigns.

CEO of Uber

In 2017 Khosrowshahi was appointed CEO of Uber Technologies, succeeding leadership from founders and interim executives amid scrutiny involving corporate governance disputes with investors such as Benchmark and regulatory challenges in cities like London, Paris, New York City, and San Francisco. At Uber he engaged with policymakers from the California Public Utilities Commission, lawmakers connected to U.S. Congress investigations, and labor bodies including Teamsters and gig-economy advocates in dialogues paralleling actions by Lyft (company), Didi Chuxing, Grab, and Ola Cabs.

His leadership encompassed strategic moves involving autonomous vehicle programs with partners like Waymo, Aurora Innovation, Zoox, and legacy automakers including Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors, and Hyundai Motor Company, as well as food delivery initiatives in competition with DoorDash and Grubhub. He navigated an initial public offering linked to underwriting banks such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan Chase, and Bank of America, while responding to investor pressure from entities like SoftBank Group and activist shareholders. Regulatory settlements and policy negotiations during his tenure involved agencies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and courts in jurisdictions like United Kingdom, Brazil, and India.

Personal life and philanthropy

Khosrowshahi is married and has a family; his personal network connects with philanthropic and cultural institutions including United Nations agencies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and medical research charities associated with institutions like Cleveland Clinic and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. He has participated in philanthropic initiatives alongside donors linked to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and The Rockefeller Foundation, and engages with arts and educational institutions such as Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, New York University, and Columbia University. His public profile includes speaking engagements at conferences like World Economic Forum in Davos, panels at CES, and appearances before investment forums connected to BlackRock and Vanguard Group.

Category:Living people Category:1969 births Category:American chief executives Category:Iranian emigrants to the United States