Uber CEO Spotted Riding Subway, Sparking Wave of Jokes

Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber, has come in for ridicule online after he was pictured riding on the New York City subway system.

Uber's ridesharing service is used by an estimated 93 million people worldwide. However, it appears Khosrowshahi thought better of using the app when it came to traveling around the Big Apple on this occasion.

The 52-year-old was pictured riding the subway by Uber's director of public policy and communications, who posted the picture of Khosrowshahi to Twitter.

The Uber CEO was traveling back from the Skift Global Forum travel industry conference when the photograph was taken.

His actions earned praise from Skift editor-in-chief Tom Lowry, who described it as a reflection of society's "new human mobility" while Skift founder and CEO Rafat Ali also posted the picture, writing "I applaud him for taking public transpo."

Unfortunately, they were in the minority when it came to praising Khosrowshahi, with Twitter users preferring to poke fun at the Uber CEO's apparent aversion to his company's own service.

One user, Freezingfintake, joked: "Y'all know the prices of Ubers are too damn high when the CEO of Uber is taking the subway."

DanishKh4n pondered whether Khosrowshahi may have opted to take the subway due to "surge pricing," a term relating to Uber's policy of increasing ride prices during busy travel periods.

Ali_Najmi quipped: "Did he try to convince MTA workers they aren't employees too?" in reference to Uber's previous controversial claim that its drivers were workers but not employees of the company.

"Says about all you need to say about Uber," Cribdilla commented. "Take the subway."

Ifeanyi_XXIII recalled Uber's core value: "we are our own customers" while noting that the "CEO doesn't even use his own product."

LuketheAmerican wrote: "The irony here is absolutely amazing."

Terronk, meanwhile, sarcastically defended Khosrowshahi's decision to take the subway.

"Can't blame him," he said. "Uber prices have gotten so high lately."

The Gig Workers Collective, a non-profit group focused on fighting for fair pay and better treatment for all gig economy workers like the ones employed by Uber, was also unimpressed.

"It's pathetic that gig economy CEOs actively avoid their own workers," they wrote in a tweet sharing the picture.

Samfbiddle and several others couldn't get over the seemingly staged nature of the picture either. "Nothing says 'I am a regular subway rider, just like you!' like inexplicably holding onto the pole while seated," he joked.

Despite the flood of comments, Khosrowshahi appeared oblivious to the criticism, later taking to Twitter himself to share the image alongside a caption that reads: "Back in NYC and loving it."

Newsweek has contacted Uber for comment.

The controversy came months after Uber found itself embroiled in another social media controversy after an Uber Eats driver was filmed stealing food from a customer's delivery order.

Not that it is all negative headlines when it comes to the ridesharing service and its drivers.

Back in June Newsweek reported on a hero driver who came to the rescue of a mom and her kids after they ended up stranded at a Florida airport.