Uber CEO under fire following controversial comments
PHOENIX - An interview from the HBO documentary news series "Axios" is catching the attention of people nationwide after Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi made an ill-fated comparison with the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
"I think that the government said that they made a mistake," said Khosrowshahi. "It's a serious mistake. We've made mistakes too, with self-driving, and we stopped driving and we're recovering from that mistake. So I think that people make mistakes, it doesn't mean that they can never be forgiven. I think they've taken it seriously."
The video, etched into the conscience of Arizonans, showed the final seconds before 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg was struck and killed by a self-driving Uber in March 2018.
Just days after the accident, it was Governor Doug Ducey who pulled the Uber self-driving program out of Arizona, calling the video "disturbing and alarming."
"The first thing is going to be about consumer safety, we want to make sure that our citizens are safe on the roads," said Governor Ducey after the accident.
After touring a facility for Arizona veterans on Monday, Ducey was very cautious to comment on the CEO's recent comments.
"I haven't heard that quote and what the characterization is," said Ducey.
Since the piece aired, the CEO tried to clarify his statement online, but it has sparked one of the top trending subjects on social media, #boycottuber.