Calls to boycott Uber mounted on social media Monday after the ride-share apps CEO called the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi a mistake.

In an Axios interview that aired Sunday night on HBO, Dara Khosrowshahi appeared to dismiss the horror of the 2018 killing , which the U.S. intelligence community concluded was carried out at the behest of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman .

I think that the government said that they made a mistake, Khosrowshahi said. Listen, its a serious mistake . Weve made mistakes too, right?

The Uber executive then suggested that the deliberate asphyxiation and dismemberment of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was somehow tantamount to a technical glitch with Ubers self-driving cars, which tragically led to the death of an Arizona pedestrian last year.

He backtracked publicly on Monday, tweeting that hed said something in the moment I dont believe.

But Khosrowshahis comments had already sparked criticism of his company on Twitter, where #BoycottUber began trending.

Khashoggis former editor at the Post, Karen Attiah, tweeted that she has deleted Ubers app from her phone and posted a rebuke of Khosrowshahis remarks. When youre rich, your crimes become mistakes, she wrote, calling the use of that word absurd.

Numerous other Twitter users have also joined the demands for a boycott, including New York Times reporter Farnaz Fassihi and standup comedian Sean Kent .

Khosrowshahis comments came in response to questions over Yasir Al-Rumayyans seat on the board of Uber. Al-Rumayyan is the head of Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund and a confidant of the crown princes. The Saudi kingdom is Ubers fifth-largest shareholder.

The Uber chief implied there should be no issue with the makeup of his companys board and its shareholders, stating that people make mistakes and it doesnt mean that they can never be forgiven.

I think theyve taken it seriously, he added.

In Mondays attempt to clean up his remarks, Khosrowshahi tweeted , Our investors have long known my views here & Im sorry I wasnt as clear on Axios.

Uber has faced boycotts in the past over its treatment of its own drivers and its 2017 decision to turn off surge pricing when taxi drivers went on strike at New Yorks John F. Kennedy Airport, which some saw as an effort to undermine the protest against President Donald Trump s travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries.