Dara Khosrowshahi on Hiring

CEO at Uber

15 insights8 categories

CEO of Uber, recruited in 2017 to transform the company's culture after a series of scandals. Previously CEO of Expedia for 12 years. An Iranian-American immigrant who has led two of the most complex turnarounds in recent tech history.

“When I came to Uber, the culture was 'always be hustlin' — win at all costs. I replaced that with 'we do the right thing, period.' That's not just a poster on the wall. It's a hiring filter. Every candidate is evaluated against that standard.”

Dara Khosrowshahi took over as CEO of Uber in 2017, inheriting one of the most toxic cultures in Silicon Valley. His mission was to transform a company that had grown explosively under a "win at all costs" mentality into one that could sustain itself through trust, integrity, and genuine care for all stakeholders.

"When I came to Uber, the culture was 'always be hustlin' — win at all costs. I replaced that with 'we do the right thing, period.'"

His approach was to change the culture through people decisions. Every hire, every promotion, every exit became a signal about what Uber actually valued. He rebuilt the interview process around new cultural norms and trained interviewers to assess character as rigorously as competence.

"Culture change doesn't happen through memos. It happens through people decisions. Every hire sends a signal about what you actually value."

Khosrowshahi screens aggressively against the "brilliant jerk" — the archetype that fueled Uber's growth but also created its crises. He considers competence without character to be actively dangerous, and he'd take character over competence if forced to choose.

"If I had to choose, I'd take character every time. A competent person with poor character will eventually damage your company."

For leadership hires, he does back-channel references focused specifically on ethical decision-making: when this person faced a choice between doing the right thing and the profitable thing, which did they choose? The pattern across multiple references reveals who someone truly is, not who they claim to be in an interview.

Philosophy

Core beliefs about hiring and talent

Khosrowshahi was hired to fix one of the most toxic cultures in Silicon Valley. His approach: change the people, change the culture. He replaced 'always be hustlin'' with 'we do the right thing, period' — and made every subsequent hire a referendum on whether Uber was serious about change.

When I came to Uber, the culture was 'always be hustlin' — win at all costs. I replaced that with 'we do the right thing, period.' That's not just a poster on the wall. It's a hiring filter. Every candidate is evaluated against that standard.

Culture change doesn't happen through memos. It happens through people decisions. Every hire, every promotion, every exit sends a signal about what you actually value. When I needed to change Uber's culture, I started with who we hired.

I've learned that character and competence are not interchangeable. You need both. But if I had to choose, I'd take character every time. A competent person with poor character will eventually damage your company. A person with strong character and moderate competence will grow.

Hiring Process

How they structure interviews and evaluations

Uber's hiring process under Khosrowshahi was rebuilt to screen for cultural values alongside skills. He introduced structured behavioral interviews focused on the company's new cultural norms, ensuring that every hire reinforces the culture Uber is building, not the one it's moving away from.

We rebuilt the interview process around Uber's new cultural norms. Every candidate goes through a behavioral interview specifically designed to test for those norms. It's not a checkbox — interviewers are trained to dig deep and distinguish genuine values from rehearsed answers.

For leadership hires, I do back-channel references focused specifically on character. I ask: when this person faced a choice between doing the right thing and doing the profitable thing, which did they choose? The pattern across multiple references tells you who someone really is.

Interview Questions

Questions they ask candidates

Khosrowshahi's questions probe for ethical decision-making, empathy, and the ability to build trust. He is especially interested in how candidates have handled situations where doing the right thing was costly.

Tell me about a time you chose to do the right thing even though it cost you something — a promotion, a bonus, a relationship.

Directly tests for the ethical backbone Khosrowshahi considers essential after Uber's cultural failures.

How have you rebuilt trust with someone after it was broken, either personally or professionally?

Uber's turnaround required rebuilding trust with drivers, regulators, employees, and the public. Khosrowshahi looks for people who have done this before.

Describe a situation where your team was under pressure to cut corners. What did you do?

Tests whether candidates can maintain standards under pressure — the exact failure mode that created Uber's scandals.

What They Look For

Traits and signals that excite them

Khosrowshahi looks for people who have demonstrated integrity under pressure — who have made the harder right choice over the easier wrong one. He also values emotional intelligence and the ability to build bridges across different stakeholder groups.

People who have demonstrably chosen integrity over convenience. Specific stories about making the harder right choice over the easier wrong one. Not hypotheticals — actual decisions with real costs.

Candidates with high emotional intelligence who can navigate complex stakeholder relationships. Uber's business involves drivers, riders, restaurants, regulators, and communities. Leaders who can build trust across all groups are invaluable.

Dealbreakers

Warning signs that concern them

The 'brilliant jerk' who gets results at the expense of trust and relationships. Khosrowshahi considers this archetype the root cause of Uber's cultural problems, and he screens aggressively against it.

The 'brilliant jerk' — someone who gets results but leaves destruction in their wake. This was Uber's original sin, hiring and promoting people who won at all costs. We screen aggressively against it now.

Candidates who show any sign of 'the ends justify the means' thinking. Even subtle signs — laughing about bending rules, bragging about aggressive tactics, dismissing regulatory concerns. That mindset is what created Uber's problems.

Signals to Watch

Subtle cues they pay attention to

How candidates talk about previous controversies or failures at their former companies. Do they take ownership of their part? Do they show empathy for the people affected? Or do they distance themselves and blame others? The answer tells you how they'll behave when things go wrong at Uber.

Frameworks

Mental models and structured approaches

The cultural turnaround framework: define 3-5 cultural norms that represent who you want to be. Build behavioral interview questions for each norm. Train every interviewer. Make values assessment carry equal weight to skills assessment. Then hold the line — no exceptions, no matter how talented the candidate.

Interviewer Tips

Practical advice for running interviews

When you're rebuilding a culture, every hire is a signal. The people you bring in tell your existing team whether the change is real or cosmetic. Hire people who embody the culture you're building, not remnants of the culture you're leaving.

Every hire during a cultural turnaround is a referendum. Your existing employees are watching to see if the change is real. One hire that contradicts the new values will undo months of progress. Hold the bar, especially when it's hard.

Frequently Asked: Dara Khosrowshahi on Hiring

Interview questions Dara Khosrowshahi is known for asking candidates.

Tell me about a time you chose to do the right thing even though it cost you something — a promotion, a bonus, a relationship.+

Directly tests for the ethical backbone Khosrowshahi considers essential after Uber's cultural failures.

How have you rebuilt trust with someone after it was broken, either personally or professionally?+

Uber's turnaround required rebuilding trust with drivers, regulators, employees, and the public. Khosrowshahi looks for people who have done this before.

Describe a situation where your team was under pressure to cut corners. What did you do?+

Tests whether candidates can maintain standards under pressure — the exact failure mode that created Uber's scandals.

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