The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi reveals the future of driverless cars, how he led Uber’s financial turnaround, his family’s escape from Iran in 1978, and the truth about AI, automation, and job loss!

Dara Khosrowshahi is the CEO of Uber and successfully transformed the company from losing $3 billion a year to generating over $9 billion in free cash flow. He previously served as CEO of Expedia for over a decade, scaling the company into a global leader in online travel. 

He explains: 

◼️The "wartime" leadership strategy he used to save Uber from collapse

◼️Why telling the uncomfortable truth is the only way to scale a company

◼️His undercover experience as a driver and why it changed the app

◼️Why 80% of jobs face total disruption from AI automation by 2035

◼️The truth about autonomous vehicles and banning humans from driving

(00:00) Intro
(03:32) Why Escaping Iran Rewired My Appetite For Risk
(10:15) The Brutal Truth About Raising Kids In An Uncertain World
(16:50) Do Engineers Make Better CEOs — Or Miss What Really Matters?
(18:09) How To Choose The Few People Truly Worth Betting On
(19:16) The X-Factor That Turns Good Employees Into Game Changers
(20:51) Why Rejection Is The Price Of Building Something That Matters
(26:46) How To See Industry Shifts Before They’re Obvious
(32:51) The Jevons Paradox: Why More Efficiency Can Mean More Consumption
(39:47) Why Transparency As A CEO Builds Power — Not Weakness
(46:52) Can You Turn A Comfortable Culture Into A Hungry One?
(49:42) Ads
(51:10) The Advice Young People Need Before It’s Too Late
(57:36) How To Build A Culture That Improves Every Single Week
(01:01:53) Why Most Teams Fail At Goals — And How To Fix It
(01:06:56) What Happens When Strategy And Values Fall Out Of Sync
(01:13:53) How AI Is Changing Our Company — And The Moves We’re Making Now
(01:18:52) Why 90% Of Our Engineers Use AI — And What That Signals
(01:23:43) Will AI Replace 9.5 Million Uber Drivers — Or Reinvent The Job?
(01:35:05) The Most Important Advice For Thriving In An AI-Driven Future

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Follow Dara: 

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YouTube (Uber) - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/7dRAeeV 

Instagram (Uber) - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/CtQISla 

The Diary Of A CEO:

◼️Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ 

◼️Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook 

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◼️Get email updates - https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt 

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Rhonda Patrick is a biomedical scientist known for translating complex health research into practical insights. In this moment, she explores how creatine behaves under conditions of stress, including sleep deprivation, and why emerging findings are prompting researchers to rethink who may benefit most from it. She explains why creatine continues to appear in research far beyond muscle growth and gym performance, particularly in studies of brain energy and cognitive demand.

Listen to the full episode here:

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Apple: https://g2ul0.app.link/6HeTDnPzC0b

Watch the Episodes On YouTube:
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Rhonda Patrick: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/

The man who risked death climbing 3,000ft up El Capitan, Alex Honnold, reveals how to master extreme pressure, why his brain scan showed zero fear, the science of risk, and his visualisation secrets.  

Alex Honnold is a professional rock climber and the first person to free solo El Capitan and Taipei 101, the 11th tallest building in the world. He is also the bestselling author of the book, ‘Alone on the Wall: Alex Honnold and the Ultimate Limits of Adventure’ and founder of the Honnold Foundation. 

He explains:

◼️How to rewire your brain to eliminate paralyzing fear

◼️The visualization technique used for the world’s most dangerous climbs

◼️Why your "purpose" is found in the risks you choose

◼️How to manage extreme stress when the stakes are fatal

◼️The "10-year grind" required to achieve true human mastery

(0:00) Intro
(2:28) The Real Story Behind What Made Alex Honnold
(9:26) Why His Upbringing Shaped His Risk Tolerance
(13:50) How Losing His Father Changed Him Forever
(18:47) Why Mastery Takes Years (And What Most People Get Wrong)
(21:37) What Happens When Fear Hits During Practice?
(25:41) The Most Effective Way To Actually Overcome Fear
(33:28) Why Modern Life Never Fit Him
(38:54) What Success Cost Behind The Scenes
(44:42) How Much Was He Really Paid To Risk His Life?
(47:26) What He Earned For Climbing Taipei 101
(51:10) What This Means About Risk And Reward
(53:18) The Moment You Truly Accept You Will Die
(1:10:06) Can You Rewire Your Brain To Eliminate Fear?
(1:18:32) What Happens To Fear After Years Of Exposure?
(1:19:39) If He Had One Last Climb — What Would It Be?
(1:23:39) The Hardest He’s Ever Pushed Himself — And Why
(1:26:50) Are Other People Taking Bigger Risks Than Him?
(1:32:06) What He Still Wants To Achieve — And What Comes Next

Enjoyed the episode? Share this link and earn points for every referral - redeem them for exclusive prizes: https://doac-perks.com 

Follow Alex:

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Alex’s foundation - https://www.honnoldfoundation.org/donate

You can purchase Alex’s book, ‘Alone on the Wall: Alex Honnold and the Ultimate Limits of Adventure’, here: https://linkly.link/2ajgw 

The Diary Of A CEO:

◼️Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ 

◼️Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook 

◼️The 1% Diary is back - limited time only: https://bit.ly/3YFbJbt 

◼️The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition): https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb 

◼️Get email updates - https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt 

◼️Follow Steven - https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb 

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How is Tiktok rewiring your brain? Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt and Harvard physician Dr Aditi Nerurkar reveal how tech addiction and short-form video are ROTTING your brain, and why AI chatbots could cause the next global addiction CRISIS! 

Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist at NYU Stern and the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Anxious Generation. Dr. Aditi Nerurkar is a world-renowned expert in stress, burnout, and mental health, and best-selling author of ‘The 5 Resets’. 

They explain:

◼️The "brain hacking" secrets tech companies use to hook you

◼️Why short-form video is shattering the global attention span

◼️The link between phone-based childhoods and the teen mental health crisis

◼️How TikTok causes a 40% drop in memory accuracy

◼️Why you must delete addictive slot-machine apps to reclaim your focus

Enjoyed the episode? Share this link and earn points for every referral - redeem them for exclusive prizes: https://doac-perks.com 

00:00 Intro
02:26 The Largest Threat To Humanity Right Now—And Why No One Wants To Admit It
06:31 How Short-Form Videos Are Rewiring Your Brain For The Worse
09:26 What Your Phone Is Doing To Your Sleep, Heart, And Stress Levels
16:15 Why Short-Form Content Is Quietly Killing Deep Thinking
19:07 What’s Really Happening In Your Brain When You Scroll
26:24 What Happens When You Quit Social Media—And Take Back Control
30:00 The Real Danger Behind Meta, Snapchat, And TikTok
36:05 The Dark Side Of Snapchat: Cyberbullying And Predators Exposed
41:23 Oxytocin, AI Chatbots, And What This Means For Your Brain
55:20 What If Your Business Depends On Social Media—Is There Another Way?
01:00:28 Why So Many People Feel Lost—And How Tech Plays A Role
01:06:16 Ads
01:07:17 The Simple Test To Know If You’re Addicted To Your Phone
01:26:08 What Is “Popcorn Brain”—And Do You Have It?
01:28:04 Brain Rot: Why Adults Can Recover—But Teens Might Not
01:31:45 Why Australia Banned Social Media For Under-16s—And What Happens Next
01:43:16 Ads
01:45:33 Why Parents Can’t Sue Social Media Companies—And What This Law Protects
02:04:29 How Technology Is Eroding Our Sense Of Meaning
02:08:39 How To Reclaim Meaning And Joy In A Hyper-Digital World
02:14:14 The 3-Second Brain Reset That Breaks The Scroll Cycle

Follow Dr Aditi:

Instagram - https://linkly.link/2aYTX 

Website - https://linkly.link/2aYTZ

You can purchase Aditi’s book, ‘The 5 Resets’, here: https://linkly.link/2aYTd 

Follow Jonathan:

X - https://linkly.link/2aYTq

Website - https://linkly.link/2aYTs 

You can purchase Jonathan’s book, ‘The Amazing Generation’, here: https://linkly.link/2aYU7 

Independent research: https://stevenbartlett.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/DOAC-Attention-Discussion-Independent-Research-further-reading.pdf

The Diary Of A CEO:

◼️Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ 

◼️Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook 

◼️The 1% Diary is back - limited time only: https://bit.ly/3YFbJbt 

◼️The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition): https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb 

◼️Get email updates - https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt 

◼️Follow Steven - https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb 

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Gelong Thubten is a Buddhist monk, meditation teacher, and former actor who has spent over six years in silent retreat. In this moment, he explains how Buddhism offers a radically different way to relate to pain, and how we could be unknowingly feeding our own suffering. Drawing on his experiences of trauma, depression, and panic attacks, he shares an insightful approach to meeting grief, forgiveness, and emotional pain with compassion.

Listen to the full episode here:

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Apple: https://g2ul0.app.link/f3r7jxByC0b

Watch the Episodes On YouTube:
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Gelong Thubten: https://www.gelongthubten.com/