Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi Defends 'Really Demanding' Work Culture, Expects Weekend Email Responses

Summary

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has publicly outlined his expectations for a high-intensity work culture at the ride-hailing giant, stating that employees who don't perform will be pushed out and that he expects responses to weekend emails. Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Khosrowshahi described sending emails to his team on Saturdays and following up with question marks on Sundays if he doesn't receive replies. The CEO, who took the helm in 2017 when Uber was losing $2.5-3 billion annually, credits this demanding approach with turning the company around to generate $9.8 billion in free cash flow last year.

Khosrowshahi emphasized that hard work is "the most important skill in life" and declared he won't let anyone outwork him, regardless of their talent or intelligence. He warned prospective employees not to join Uber if they want to "coast," rejecting trends like coffee badging and four-day workweeks. While he acknowledged that working at Uber is no "cakewalk," he promised employees would have agency, learn extensively, and make a tangible difference.

Despite his hard-charging philosophy, Khosrowshahi claims to maintain some boundaries, blocking off two hours for family dinner when in town before returning to his inbox at 9:30 PM and resuming again at 5:30 AM. He insists that flexibility and hard work can coexist, though he admits "life is about tradeoffs." The comments come as workplace culture debates intensify across the tech industry, with companies taking divergent approaches to remote work, work-life balance, and employee expectations.

• Khosrowshahi warned prospective employees not to join Uber if they want to 'coast' and rejected workplace trends like four-day workweeks