Uber’s Robotaxi Playbook, End of Human Driving & $10B Bet on Robots | Dara Khosrowshahi (Uber CEO)

In this talk

1. 0:14

   Autonomous driving and licensing

   Khosrowshahi expects autonomous vehicles to become safer than human drivers, though he says broad production will take time because the vehicles are expensive. He sees regulators eventually deciding what driving licenses require as fewer people drive. He expects racing to continue and encouraged a 13-year-old attendee to get a license for now.

2. 1:15

   Building the robotaxi network

   He says 80% of riders offered an autonomous vehicle in Atlanta and Austin accept the match, and those who do enjoy the trip. Uber’s dispatch systems predict near-term demand across its network, which handles 40 million trips a day. Khosrowshahi expects machines to be more predictable than human drivers, while coordinating consecutive trips and reliable service remains a challenge.

3. 5:54

   Insurance, access, and the transition to EVs

   Khosrowshahi describes separate insurance responsibilities for autonomous vehicle providers and other incidents, while noting that pricing needs more trip data. He wants autonomous transport to reach underserved areas and eventually become cheaper. He expects AV growth to support a shift toward electric vehicles, while saying charging infrastructure limits EV uptake in the U.S. today.

4. 18:55

   Work and Uber’s role in automation

   Khosrowshahi expects automation to augment some jobs and replace others, with the speed of change making society’s ability to adapt uncertain. Uber aims to grow its platform from 10 million workers to 20 million by 2035, with people taking on different tasks. He also argues that workers should have opportunities to own assets as companies automate.

5. 25:39

   Culture and choosing new bets

   Khosrowshahi says Uber’s values put personal responsibility in the hands of employees at every level, and he argues that larger companies should keep taking risks. New ventures should connect to Uber’s existing strengths: rides led to food delivery, freight, and air mobility, while AI data work fits its flexible labor platform.