Dara Khosrowshahi Bio
Dara Khosrowshahi is an Iranian-American business executive best known as the chief executive officer of Uber. Born in Tehran on 28 May 1969, his family fled Iran during the revolution and later settled in the United States. He graduated from Hackley School and earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical and electronics engineering from Brown University. Khosrowshahi began his career in investment banking at Allen and Company in 1991 and rose to lead Expedia Group in 2005 before taking the helm at Uber in 2017.
He serves on multiple corporate boards and is recognized for guiding major companies through periods of rapid growth and public scrutiny.
Early Life and Background
Dara Khosrowshahi was born in 1969 into a prominent and wealthy family in Tehran, Imperial State of Iran. He is the youngest of three children born to Lili and Asghar (Gary) Khosrowshahi. His family founded the Alborz Investment Company, a diversified conglomerate involved in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food, distribution, packaging, trading, and services. He grew up in a mansion on the family’s compound.
On the eve of the Iranian Revolution in 1978, his family fled Iran when he was nine years old. Their company was later nationalized. They first fled to southern France and planned to return when the political climate improved. When that did not happen and the Iran-Iraq war began, the family immigrated to the United States, eventually moving in with one of his uncles in Tarrytown, New York. His mother had very little money to support her children and began working full time to contribute toward his education.
In 1982, his father went to Iran to care for his grandfather. The Iranian government subsequently barred his father from leaving the country for six years, so Khosrowshahi spent his teenage years without seeing his father. In 1987, he graduated from the Hackley School, a private university-preparatory school in Tarrytown. In 1991, he earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical and electronics engineering from Brown University, where he joined the social fraternity Sigma Chi.
Path to Chief Executive Officer
Khosrowshahi began his professional career in 1991 when he joined Allen and Company, an investment bank, as an analyst. While still a junior employee, he was asked to explain the numerical figures of a major company deal to Barry Diller after his boss fell sick one day. That chance meeting with the billionaire made a deep impression on him and shaped the next phase of his career.
In 1998, he left Allen and Company to work for Barry Diller, first at USA Networks as Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning and later as president. He then served as chief financial officer of IAC, another company controlled by Diller. In 2001, IAC purchased Expedia, and in August 2005, Khosrowshahi became Expedia’s chief executive officer. Ten years later, in 2015, Expedia awarded him $90 million in stock options as part of a long-term employment agreement conditioned on his staying with the company until 2020.
Dara Khosrowshahi Career
Early Career (1991-2005)
During his years at Allen and Company, Khosrowshahi developed a reputation as a sharp analyst and built relationships across the media and technology industries. His early work placed him in close contact with senior executives, including Barry Diller, whose companies he would later join.
After moving to Diller’s USA Networks and then IAC, he gained broad operating experience in strategy, finance, and corporate leadership. These roles prepared him to lead a public company at a young age when he was named CEO of Expedia in 2005.
Expedia Group Era (2005-2017)
As CEO of Expedia Group, Khosrowshahi transformed the company into one of the world’s largest online travel companies. Under his leadership, the gross value of hotel and other travel bookings more than quadrupled and pre-tax earnings more than doubled. Expedia extended its presence to more than 60 countries and completed major acquisitions of Travelocity, Orbitz, and HomeAway.
In June 2013, he received the Pacific Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst and Young in recognition of his work. In 2016, he was named one of the highest paid CEOs in the United States. His tenure at Expedia established him as a respected operator in the technology and travel industries.
Uber Era (2017-Present)
In August 2017, Khosrowshahi became the CEO of Uber, succeeding co-founder Travis Kalanick. He forfeited unvested Expedia stock options then worth $184 million, though Uber reportedly paid him over $200 million to take the position. He is on Uber’s board of directors.
His initial priority was to reform the company’s culture after a series of damaging revelations. He replaced Kalanick’s fourteen values with eight new values focused on customer obsession, and at public appearances he often stressed the message, We do the right thing. Period. In May 2019, Khosrowshahi led Uber in its initial public offering, addressing employees in a company-wide letter. In 2022, his total compensation from Uber rose 22 percent to $24.3 million. In 2023, his total compensation was $24.2 million, a CEO-to-median worker pay ratio of 292-to-1. His total compensation for 2024 was $39.4 million, an increase of 63 percent from the previous year. His net worth is estimated at $238 million as of February 2025.
Notable Events and Milestones
Khosrowshahi’s selection as Uber CEO in 2017 followed several deadlocked board votes and the withdrawal of initial frontrunners Jeff Immelt and Meg Whitman. His decision to join Uber was influenced by Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek, who persuaded him to consider the role. The 2019 Uber initial public offering stands as a defining moment of his tenure.
Dara Khosrowshahi Career Highlights
Across his career, Khosrowshahi has been recognized for leading two major public companies through periods of significant growth and transformation.
Career Highlights
As CEO of Expedia Group from 2005 to 2017, he led the expansion of the business to more than 60 countries and oversaw the acquisitions of Travelocity, Orbitz, and HomeAway. At Uber from 2017 to the present, he has overseen the company’s 2019 initial public offering, a major cultural overhaul, and continued growth of its global ride-sharing and delivery operations.
Other Wins and Achievements
In 2013, Khosrowshahi received the Pacific Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst and Young for his work at Expedia. He has also served on the boards of BET.com, Hotels.com, and The New York Times Company.
Dara Khosrowshahi Family
Family Background and Notable Relatives
Khosrowshahi is the youngest of three children of Asghar (Gary) and Lili Khosrowshahi. His uncle, Hassan Khosrowshahi, also fled Iran during the Iranian Revolution. A cousin, Amir Khosrowshahi, co-founded Nervana Systems, which was acquired by Intel in 2016 for $408 million. Another cousin, Golnar Khosrowshahi, founded Reservoir Media in 2007 as a music publishing company.
Personal Life
Khosrowshahi has two children from a first marriage with Kathleen Grant, which ended before 2009. On December 12, 2012, he married Sydney Shapiro, a former preschool teacher and actress. The couple have twin sons, both diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and Khosrowshahi has appeared as a guest speaker for the Autism Partnership Foundation.