Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi discussed ways to create economic opportunities for a new generation of micro-entrepreneurs and help India become a $5 trillion economy by 2025.
The two met at the Economic Times Global Business Summit on Friday, March 23.
Dara Khosrowshahi said he admired Modi’s entrepreneurial skills and commitment to progressive economic reforms in India, which accounts for 10 percent of the total trips on the Uber rides app globally.
“It is very difficult to be an entrepreneur, but it is more difficult to be an entrepreneur at scale,” said Khosrowshahi. “What the PM of India is doing in terms of pushing the country forward with a global view, pushing progressive reforms forward, and keeping India open and you can see the optimism in the way the economy is going, it is remarkable. To be an entrepreneur at scale is a skill that hopefully I can find as I take over Uber and look to scale and take it forward.”
On his first trip to India as Uber CEO, Khosrowshahi emphasized the importance of India to Uber’s ridesharing and food delivery businesses, as well as a source for tech talent.
Khosrowshahi said Uber would continue to invest heavily in India across people, product, and partnerships. Hiring local engineers to build products for India that can then be exported to other fast-growing markets is a key focus in 2018 and beyond, he said.
