Khashoggi killing was serious mistake,his murder was reprehensible and should not be forgotten or excused:Chief Executive Officer of Uber Dara Khosrowshahi.
Dara Khosrowshahi expresses regret after comparing journalist’s killing to fatal self-driving crash involving Uber car.
The chief executive officer of Uber has expressed regret after calling the gruesome killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi a “mistake” by Saudia Arabia‘s government and comparing it to a fatal self-driving crash involving one of the ride-hailing firm’s cars.
Dara Khosrowshahi made the remarks during an interview with “Axios on HBO” after being asked about Yasir al-Rumayyan, the director of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, who is a member of Uber’s board of directors.
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The sovereign wealth fund is Uber’s fifth-biggest investor.
“Listen, it’s a serious mistake. We’ve made mistakes too,” Khosrowshahi said of Khashoggi’s murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, before comparing it to last year’s self-driving crash.
Khosrowshahi defended his company’s ties to the Saudi state, which represents Uber’s fifth-largest investor.
In March 2018, one of Uber’s self-driving test vehicles struck and killed a female pedestrian in Tempe, in the US state of Arizona.
Last week, a US agency said the vehicle had software flaws.
“We stopped driving, and we’re recovering from that mistake. So I think that people make mistakes and it doesn’t mean that they can never be forgiven. I think they’ve taken it seriously,” he said.
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Khosrowshahi later called to voice his regret for the remarks about Khashoggi’s murder and sent the following statement.
“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,” said the statement posted on the news website on Monday.
Despite credible evidence which ties the Saudi government to the murder, many of the businesses and officials who distanced themselves from Saudi Arabia last year have since made amends.
Khashoggi killing was a ‘mistake then backtracks:Uber CEO
