The Uber CEO almost turned down the job — the Spotify CEO convinced him to take it

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When Uber first approached now-CEO Tara Khosrowshahi about leading the company, she turned down the call.

It’s 2017, and the rideshare app is going through a “historically difficult period,” Khosrowshahi told LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky. Recent interview. Uber faced various problems including: Sexual harassment allegations, An FBI investigation And a carnage Gun fire Related to Workplace Culture Inquiry, to name but a few.

“When I first got the call, my first thought was, ‘Heck no,'” he said. “I thought, ‘Why would I do that?’

Khosrowshahi is not in the market for a new job. He’s entering his twelfth year as Expedia’s CEO and still has “exciting times,” he told Roslansky.

He called Uber’s board of directors and was ready to take himself out of the race for CEO — until a conversation with a friend changed his mind.

That friend is Daniel Ek, founder and CEO of Spotify.

The two were having cocktails at an investor conference, and when Ek asked if Uber had invited him yet, he revealed that he had recommended Khosrowshahi for the CEO gig.

Khosrowshahi admits he was on the fence about joining Uber because he was happy with Expedia. Later, “Daniel looked at me with his cold, Scandinavian eyes and said, ‘You know, Tara, when life is fun? It’s about making an impact. You have to make an impact,'” she said.

That conversation with Ek was a “special moment” that made Khosrowshahi reconsider what she wanted to do with her life, she added. While he was content leading Expedia, Khosrowshahi felt leading one of the most influential people, Uber. Fast growing businesses At that time, through its string of crises, would allow him to have a “greater impact” on the world.

The next morning, Khosrowshahi recalled Chief Hunter — who, in August 2017, was announced as Uber’s new CEO after a unanimous board vote.

Early in his tenure at Uber, Khosrowshahi overhauled the company’s cultural ethos, ditching the “growth at all costs” ethos popularized by his predecessor and ridesharing app co-founder Travis Kalanick. principles “Build with heart” and “Do what is right.”

While continuing to face challenges up to Uber cases to do Driver strikeCompany’s public image and Profit It improved significantly under Khosrowshahi’s leadership.

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