Uber CEO Backpedals After Comparing Khashoggi Murder To ‘Mistake’ Similar To Self-Driving Car Accident

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told “Axios on HBO” that the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a simple “mistake” by the Saudi government, comparing it to an accident in an Uber self-driving car in which a woman had died.

An hour later, Khosrowshahi called Axios to let them know he’s an idiot and regretted his words.

“I said something in the moment that I do not believe. When it comes to Jamal Khashoggi, his murder was reprehensible and should not be forgotten or excused,” he said in a statement the next day.

Perhaps his cavalier attitude stems from the fact that Saudi Arabia is Uber’s fifth-largest shareholder, and the head of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund sits on Uber’s board of director. Moreover, the Kingdom is the largest investor in SoftBank’s Vision Fund, while SoftBank is also one of Uber’s largest investors.