Khosrowshahi was born in Iran to a prominent family that founded the Alborz Investment Company. He was 9 when his family escaped Iran on the eve of the Iranian Revolution in 1978 after Alborz Investment was nationalized. When he was 13, his father had to go back to Iran to take care of his grandfather and was detained for six years before returning. During that time his mom was raising three kids without a dad.
In June 2013, Ernst & Young recognized Dara Khosrowshahi as a Pacific Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year award recipient. He is among the U.S. State Department's "List of Prominent Iranian Americans."