London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Feb 07, 2026

Uber CEO: 'We are very, very, very different from WeWork'

Uber CEO: 'We are very, very, very different from WeWork'

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi defends the company’s business at The New York Times’ DealBook Conference on Wednesday. Khosrowshahi says Uber’s core ride-hailing business should shield it from experiencing a fate like WeWork’s. The stock has been under pressure recently as Uber’s post-IPO lockup is set to expire and it reported more than $1 billion in net losses during the third quarter.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi defended the ride-hailing company’s business Wednesday as its stock continues to tumble and it faces growing investor skepticism around its massive losses.

On stage at The New York Times DealBook conference, interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin asked Khosrowshahi if he was happy the company had gone public in time to avoid a situation like WeWork’s. The embattled workspace company was once expected to stage one of the hottest initial public offerings of the year, but investors balked at its huge losses and unusual business structure. The company ultimately postponed its IPO and had to be bailed out by major investor SoftBank.

“We are very, very, very different from WeWork,” Khosrowshahi said. “Fundamentally the rideshare market is of scale, is global, is an attractive business, and it’s only going to get better in a competitive market.”

In fact, the companies share a number of similarities: Both count SoftBank as their largest investor, received early venture infusions from Benchmark Capital and show operating losses of more than $1 billion per year. Earlier on Tuesday, SoftBank, the Japanese conglomerate headed by Masayoshi Son, reported quarterly losses of $6.5 billion, driven in large part by writedowns on its Vision Fund’s investments in both companies.

On stage, Khosrowshahi acknowledged that Uber has felt the effects of a reckoning among public and private investors, wherein the “appetite for the unknown and high risk has gone down.” But he said it has “forced Uber to perform better,” as evidenced by the company’s announcement that it expects to turn an EBITDA profit in 2021, as well as an increasingly rational ride-hailing market.

He added that the core ride-hailing business essentially functions as Uber’s version of Amazon Web Services, which has become a major profit engine for Amazon, and should help Uber achieve profitability.

Khosrowshahi’s comments come as Uber’s IPO lockup agreement is set to expire on Wednesday. The event is the first time since Uber’s IPO in May that insiders can sell the stock, and analysts have warned it could put near-term pressure on the shares.

Earlier this week, Uber reported third-quarter earnings that sent the stock down nearly 10%. In its results, the company posted over $1 billion net losses for the quarter. On a call with analysts, executives dangled an attractive EBITDA profitability target for full year 2021, but many analysts continued to ask skeptical questions to probe for more details.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The Implications of Expanding Voting Rights to Non-EU Foreign Residents in France
Ghislaine Maxwell to Testify Before US Congress on February 9
Al.com Acquired by Crypto.com Founder for $70 Million
Apple iPhone Lockdown Mode blocks FBI data access in journalist device seizure
Belgium: Man Charged with Rape After Faking Payment to Sex Worker
KPMG Urges Auditor to Relay AI Cost Savings
US and Iran to Begin Nuclear Talks in Oman
Winklevoss-Led Gemini to Slash a Quarter of Jobs and Exit European and Australian Markets
Canada Opens First Consulate in Greenland Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions
China unveils plans for a 'Death Star' capable of launching missile strikes from space
NASA allows astronauts to take smartphones on upcoming missions to capture special moments.
Trump administration to launch TrumpRx.gov for direct drug purchases
Investigation Launched at Winter Olympics Over Ski Jumpers Injecting Hyaluronic Acid
U.S. State Department Issues Urgent Travel Warning for Citizens to Leave Iran Immediately
Wall Street Erases All Gains of 2026; Bitcoin Plummets 14% to $63,000
Epstein Case Documents Reignite Global Scrutiny of Political and Business Elites
Eighty-one-year-old man in the United States fatally shoots Uber driver after scam threat
UK Royal Family Faces Intensifying Strain as Epstein-Linked Revelations Rock the Institution
Political Censorship: French Prosecutors Raid Musk’s X Offices in Paris
AI Invented “Hot Springs” — Tourists Arrived and Were Shocked
Tech Mega-Donors Power Trump-Aligned Fundraising Surge to $429 Million Ahead of 2026 Midterms
UK Pharma Watchdog Rules Sanofi Breached Industry Code With RSV Vaccine Claims Against Pfizer
Melania Documentary Opens Modestly in UK with Mixed Global Box Office Performance
Starmer Arrives in Shanghai to Promote British Trade and Investment
Harry Styles, Anthony Joshua and Premier League Stars Among UK’s Top Taxpayers
New Epstein Files Include Images of Former Prince Andrew Kneeling Over Unidentified Woman
Starmer Urges Former Prince Andrew to Testify Before US Congress About Epstein Ties
Starmer Extends Invitation to Japan’s Prime Minister After Strategic Tokyo Talks
Skupski and Harrison Clinch Australian Open Men’s Doubles Title in Melbourne
DOJ Unveils Millions of Epstein Files, Fueling Global Scrutiny of Elite Networks
France Begins Phasing Out Zoom and Microsoft Teams to Advance Digital Sovereignty
China Lifts Sanctions on British MPs and Peers After Starmer Xi Talks in Beijing
Trump Nominates Kevin Warsh as Fed Chair to Reorient U.S. Monetary Policy Toward Pro-Growth Interest Rates
AstraZeneca Announces £11bn China Investment After Scaling Back UK Expansion Plans
Starmer and Xi Forge Warming UK-China Ties in Beijing Amid Strategic Reset
Tech Market Shifts and AI Investment Surge Drive Global Innovation and Layoffs
Markets Jolt as AI Spending, US Policy Shifts, and Global Security Moves Drive New Volatility
U.S. Signals Potential Decertification of Canadian Aircraft as Bilateral Tensions Escalate
Former South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee Sentenced to 20 Months for Bribery
Tesla Ends Model S and X Production and Sends $2 Billion to xAI as 2025 Revenue Declines
China Executes 11 Members of the Ming Clan in Cross-Border Scam Case Linked to Myanmar’s Lawkai
Trump Administration Officials Held Talks With Group Advocating Alberta’s Independence
Starmer Signals UK Push for a More ‘Sophisticated’ Relationship With China in Talks With Xi
Shopping Chatbots Move From Advice to Checkout as Walmart Pushes Faster Than Amazon
Starmer Seeks Economic Gains From China Visit While Navigating US Diplomatic Sensitivities
Starmer Says China Visit Will Deliver Economic Benefits as He Prepares to Meet Xi Jinping
UK Prime Minister Starmer Arrives in China to Bolster Trade and Warn Firms of Strategic Opportunities
The AI Hiring Doom Loop — Algorithmic Recruiting Filters Out Top Talent and Rewards Average or Fake Candidates
Amazon to Cut 16,000 Corporate Jobs After Earlier 14,000 Reduction, Citing Streamlining and AI Investment
Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Powell Faces DOJ Criminal Investigation During 2026 Decision
×