Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who is on a visit to India, recently met with Indian billionaire and Adani Group chief Gautam Adani.
After the meeting, Gautam Adani took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a picture of him with Dara Khosrowshahi and praised Uber's expansion and growth in the Indian market.
"His vision for Uber's expansion in India is truly inspiring, especially his commitment to uplifting Indian drivers and their dignity," Adani wrote.
Notably, he also dropped a hint of collaboration with the American ride-hailing company. "Excited for future collaborations with Dara and his team!" he added.
In response to Adani's post, Dara highlighted the company's commitment to scaling up shared mobility and accelerating the transition to EVs.
"An absolutely terrific conversation with @gautam_adani over a delicious breakfast about India’s phenomenal growth and rising entrepreneurship. @Uber is committed to scaling up shared mobility and accelerating the transition to EVs - looking forward to taking our partnership to the next level," Dara wrote.
An absolutely terrific conversation with @gautam_adani over delicious breakfast about India’s phenomenal growth and rising entrepreneurship. @Uber is committed to scaling up shared mobility and accelerating transition to EVs - looking forward to take our partnership to the next… https://t.co/0g6uSYEWh8
— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) February 24, 2024
Uber CEO meeting with Piyush Goyal and Dr. S. Jaishankar
Besides Adani, Khosrowshahi also met the Minister of External Affairs of India, Dr S. Jaishankar and the Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal.
"Encouraging to hear the optimism of Uber CEO @dkhos on doing business in India. The world takes note of the transformation of the last decade. And awaits the coming opportunities. Good to know that he even tried his hand at cricket," S. Jaishankar wrote in a post on X.
Encouraging to hear the optimism of Uber CEO @dkhos on doing business in India.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 23, 2024
The world takes note of the transformation of the last decade. And awaits the coming opportunities.
Good to know that he even tried his hand at cricket. pic.twitter.com/YBHNrytzjL
"Was great to meet Minister @PiyushGoyal in Delhi, and discuss initiatives to enable sustainable and digitally-enabled transportation, and our efforts towards promoting driver welfare," Dara wrote.
Was great to meet Minister @PiyushGoyal in Delhi, and discuss initiatives to enable sustainable and digitally-enabled transportation, and our efforts towards promoting driver welfare. pic.twitter.com/kyl7aQzFZP
— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) February 23, 2024
Netizens reactions
Within a few hours of posting, Adani's post has garnered over 130,000 views and over 4,300 likes. While many praised Adani's hint at a potential collaboration with Uber, others questioned the need for the partnership.
And what has it got to do with your business Adaniji?? Buying out @Uber ???
— Hopefull jeevi (@SwitzIndLove) February 24, 2024
Uber changed the game!
— Lee Kuan Yew Commentary! (@LKYMM23) February 24, 2024
Great vision of two top visionaries of the present generation. Cheers. 💐💐💐
— DrSJena (@drsjenarkl) February 24, 2024
Uber's partnership with ONDC
Meanwhile, The American ride-hailing giant has partnered with the government-backed ONDC to broaden its mobility services across the country. Uber said it is committed to offering safe, affordable, and reliable transportation options to the Indian populace.
Uber presence in India
Currently, Uber operates in 125 cities across a range of different vehicle types and has 900,000 Indian drivers on its platform. However, Uber still faces tough competition from rivals, including Bhavish Aggarwal's Ola Cabs and Bengaluru-based Rapido.
Notably, India is a key market for Uber, and the company is continually expanding its offerings for Indian consumers. Dara acknowledged that India is one of the toughest markets to penetrate. The “Indian customer is so demanding and doesn’t want to pay for anything,” he said.