'Indian customer is demanding... historically very difficult to operate here,' says Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi
Dara Khosrowshahi. In an interview with the Economic Times, the executive shared insights into the company's investment strategy in India, its focus on mobility, profitability, the electric vehicles (EV) business, and differences in his management style compared to Uber's founder Travis Kalanick. Reflecting on the founder vs.
CEO debate in the tech world, especially in the context of Uber founder Travis Kalanick, Khosrowshahi acknowledged the unique strengths of founders but highlighted the need for focus and the importance of being the right leader for a specific phase in a company's journey. He expressed respect for Kalanick's accomplishments and noted that their collaboration has been beneficial for Uber. Acknowledging the importance of succeeding in India, Khosrowshahi said the "Indian customer is a demanding one, both in terms of service and price", adding that "it has been historically very difficult for companies which operate in higher revenue and cost scenarios to compete in low-cost and lower unit revenue markets.
For us, India is not only a market with enormous potential, but it is a state of mind." The CEO also noted the country's unique digital public infrastructure such as Aadhaar and ONDC and stressed the country's role in fostering innovation at scale over the next five to ten years. "I learnt about digital public infrastructure in India — Aadhaar, payments systems to ONDC, and a bunch of the surrounding technical infrastructure that is being built. It’s unique.
Read more on livemint.com
