Uber's Dara Khosrowshahi backtracks after calling Khashoggi death a 'mistake'

New York: Uber Technologies CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in an interview on the television show 'Axios on HBO' that the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was 'a mistake' by the Saudi Arabian government, and compared it to Uber’s accident with a self-driving car that killed a woman.

In the interview that aired on Sunday, Khosrowshahi said "it doesn’t mean they can never be forgiven." But in a follow-up statement sent to Axios after the interview, the CEO backtracked and said: "I said something in the moment that I don’t believe." He called Khashoggi's murder 'reprehensible' and said it 'should not be forgotten.'

The remarks came during a discussion about Uber’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is the ride-hailing car company's fifth-largest investor. The Axios interviewer, Mike Allen, asked if Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan, who heads Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, should be allowed to remain on Uber’s board. Khosrowshahi called Al-Rumayyan a 'very constructive' board member who provides valuable input.