Iranian Diaspora Tech Leaders to Hold Private Conference at Uber HQ on Iran's Future

A private conference titled Tech X Future of Iran is set to take place at Uber Headquarters in San Francisco this Saturday, bringing together key figures from the Iranian diaspora to discuss the future of Iran and regional developments.

The event was announced via an email viewed by 404 Media, which was sent to journalists on Friday afternoon. The email stated:

"This Saturday, a private conference on the future of Iran will take place at Uber Headquarters in San Francisco, bringing together leaders in technology, finance, and geopolitics for an off-the-record discussion on Iran’s future and regional developments."

The guest list includes prominent figures such as:

• Reza Pahlavi, former Crown Prince of Iran and son of the Shah deposed during the 1979 Islamic Revolution;
• Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber;
• Shervin Pishevar, former CEO of HyperLoop and angel investor in companies like Uber, Airbnb, Slack, and Robinhood;
• Hamid Moghadam, CEO of Prologis, a San Francisco-based investment trust;
• A SpaceX engineer, a Tesla engineer, and a senior global commodity manager at Nvidia.

The event has already attracted over 2,000 applicants to its waitlist.

The conference schedule includes:

• A 9:30 AM reception;
• 30 minutes for "strategic rebuild";
• 30 minutes for "future tech";
• 30 minutes for "internet";
• Followed by an open dialogue.

The flyer for the event features a pre-Islamic Republic version of the Iranian flag.

Reza Pahlavi, a controversial figure, has repeatedly stated that if he were to return to lead Iran, it would only be as a bridge to democratic rule. In an interview with 60 Minutes earlier this year, he said:

"Millions of Iranians inside Iran and outside of Iran are calling my name. They recognize in me the person uniquely placed to play a role of transitional leadership. Not running for office, because that's not what I'm doing, but to be a bridge to that destiny."

However, significant challenges remain for Pahlavi or any of the tech leaders to realize their ambitions in Iran. The country is currently engaged in an ongoing war, with Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz and launching attacks on US allies and military bases in the region. U.S. intelligence reports indicate that Tehran still possesses 70% of its missile launchers and pre-war missile inventory, allowing it to fight the U.S. for months. Additionally, Iran retains all its nuclear material, and its recovery without a peace deal would be highly dangerous.