Apr 7, 2026
There’s a private conversation among tech executives that is almost never made public.
Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber, is one of the few willing to give the details on what that conversation sounds like.
Advertisement
In a recent interview on The Diary of a CEO (1), Khosrowshahi was asked about the disconnect between tech leaders’ statements on CNBC and at Davos versus what they say behind closed doors.
Executives who have been candid in private about the scale of disruption artificial intelligence (AI) is going to cause, he said, then go on stage and tell everyone it’ll work out fine. He argued that the reason isn’t malice — rather, it’s incentive. Being too honest about job displacement scares investors and makes fundraising harder.
“I understand the incentive,” Khosrowshahi said. He just doesn’t think it’s the right call.
Khoshrowshahi isn’t speaking abstractly. Uber’s platform runs on 9.5 million drivers and couriers — the largest flexible workforce in the world. He acknowledged most of those trips will eventually be handled by autonomous vehicles, and when pressed on what those workers do afterward, he gave an unusually honest answer for a CEO of his stature.
“I don’t know.”
The data is already moving
The displacement isn't hypothetical. In the U.S., companies cited AI in 1.2M job cuts in 2025, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas — up 71% from Q4 2024 total, and 29% from the third quarter (2). Block, Meta and others have all flagged AI in recent rounds of employee cuts.
In Canada, the picture is taking shape too. Amazon and IBM have cut workers at offices in Vancouver and Toronto, and tech job postings across the country have dropped 19% since 2020 (3). According to Statistics Canada, roughly 31% of Canadian workers are in roles where AI can perform key functions without meaningfully supporting the worker (4). Also, another 29% are in roles where AI could reshape how they work even if it doesn’t replace them outright. Altogether, about 60% of Canadian workers face some degree of transformation.
A Concordia University researcher writing in Policy Options recently noted that Canada’s labour protection covers only 6% to 8% of workers when it comes to technological change — and that Ottawa has focused far more on building the AI industry than preparing workers for what comes next (5).
Must Read
- Stop the leak: 5 costs Canadians (still) overpay for every single month. How many are sabotaging your 2026 budget?
- What's your worth? Here are the 3 net worth milestones that change everything for Canadians (and what they say about you)
- Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich — and that ‘anyone’ can do it
Some think he’s still being too optimistic
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodel has suggested AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years — pushing unemployment as high as 10% to 20% (6). The World Economic Forum projects 92 million roles displaced globally by 2030, partially offset by 170 million new ones (7). But that net gain depends on retraining a set scale that no country has yet delivered.
Advertisement
Khosrowshahi flagged this himself, noting how the universal basic income pilots that have been tested thus far produced worse outcomes for recipients, not better. The safety net being proposed isn’t ready.
Some economists argue that companies are using AI to dress up layoffs that were always coming — a cleanup from pandemic-era overhiring packaged in a forward-looking story. While that’s likely true in some cases, it doesn’t change the direction things are headed, only the pace.
The part that goes beyond economics
Khosrowshahi grew up watching his father lose everything after fleeing Iran — not only his money, but his sense of purpose. That experience shapes how he thinks about work. A job is more than a paycheque, he argues. It’s how people understand their place in the world. Remove that at scale, with nothing credible to replace it, and the damage that occurs is more than financial.
When asked what advice he’d give his four children for surviving what’s coming, he kept it simple: Work hard and you’ll be fine.
The gap between reassurance and everything else he said in the interview is hard to reconcile. He doesn’t seem fully convinced, either — however, he’s admitting he just doesn’t have a better answer yet.
Read more: The ultra-rich are bailing on volatile stocks right now — these 4 shockproof assets are their new safe havens
Bottom line
The honest version of this conversation — the one Khosrowshahi says happens privately among tech executives — is one that Canadian workers and policymakers need to be having in public. Around 60% of Canadian workers are in roles that AI will either reshape or replace, and the policy response so far hasn’t matched that reality.
For workers in exposed roles, the most useful thing to do right now is what Khosrowshahi told his kids: take it seriously, build adaptable skills and don’t wait for instructional support that may arrive too late.
-With files from Melanie Huddart
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
The Diary of a CEO (1); CFO (2); Yahoo! Finance (3); Statistics Canada (4); Policy Options (5); Axios (6); World Economic Forum (7)
You May Also Like
- Here’s how to retire in 10 short years no matter where you live in Canada — even if you’re starting with $0 savings
- If you’re still feeling the pinch this month — don’t panic. Here are 5 easy ways to fix your finances without a total overhaul
- How Warren Buffett’s simple buy-and-hold real estate approach offers a lesson for Canadian homeowners and long-term investors
- Approaching retirement with no savings? Don’t panic, you're not alone. Here are easy ways you can catch up (and fast)
Rudro is an editor with Money.ca. Rudro had previously served as Managing Editor of Oola, and as the Content Lead of Tickld before that. Rudro holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Toronto.
