Iranian-born Dara Khosrowshahi, who will soon become Uber’s new CEO, did not hide his patriotism in a May conversation with CNBC’s Jim Cramer.
The Expedia CEO shed light on his personal experience as an immigrant to the United States on an episode of “Mad Money.”
“I emigrated here when I was nine years old,” Khosrowshahi said. “My family had to flee Iran, … the revolution, and we were very, very lucky to come to America and have opportunities presented to us. And that’s … one of the things that makes America great.”
Khosrowshahi was a surprise choice to lead the embattled, privately-held ride-hailing company, coming in after HP Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman and former GE CEO Jeff Immelt dropped out of the running.
But sources told CNBC that the board’s “dark horse” candidate could be the perfect antidote to Uber’s ousted CEO, Travis Kalanick.
“The power of immigration, the power of the American dream, if you think about the American dream, it is the best brand out there,” Khosrowshahi told Cramer in May. “It’s stronger than Apple and Microsoft and Google combined, times 10.”
Disclosure: Cramer’s charitable trust owns shares of Apple and Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
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Source: Tech CNBC
Uber's new CEO pick, an Iranian immigrant, says 'the American dream' is 'the best brand out there'