Uber CEO: AI creating 'employees with superpowers', doubling down on investment

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is pushing back against Reddit-fueled narratives that AI is a costly, unproven hype. In a recent statement, he emphasized that Uber is aggressively bullish on AI, arguing that the technology is creating what he calls 'employees with superpowers.' Contrary to claims that AI is expensive without ROI, Khosrowshahi explained that Uber is slowing hiring precisely because AI has become so useful so quickly — the company went through all of its tokens faster than anticipated, not because AI was a waste, but because it exceeded expectations.

Khosrowshahi also revealed that just two months ago, on one of the world's biggest podcasts, he warned that tech CEOs aren't being honest about AI's real threat — seeing it as a massive disruptor. He clarified that COO quotes about AI being expensive and hard to measure with traditional KPIs were taken out of context. Uber plans to double down on AI in the coming year, aligning with moves from Microsoft and other tech giants. The CEO's tone signals that AI's impact on labor, productivity, and hiring is far from a passing trend.