No interest in minority deals, we are in a position of strength: Uber COO

We are always open to having conversations with potential partners around the world, says Barney Harford

“It is like shorthand,” is how Barney Harford, COO, Uber, describes the understanding between him and the company’s chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi. Having known each other for almost two decades, during which they competed as well as worked together, the two share not only similar ideas about running a company but also about competition. Harford, who’s on a short visit to the country, told Karan Choudhury and Nivedita Mookerji in an interview that Uber had no interest in doing minority deals, when asked about merger talks with rival Ola. Edited excerpts:  

Does it help that you and Dara Khosrowshahi worked