Uber conducts largest staff reduction since the pandemic
Uber will cut about 3.3 thousand jobs, or approximately 10% of its global workforce, as part of a large-scale reorganization. The company wants to reduce the number of management layers and direct more resources to the core business and the development of robotaxis.
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced the restructuring to employees. According to him, the company's rapid growth over recent years has led to redundant management layers, duplication of functions, and a more complex decision-making process.
As a result, the number of managers at Uber will decrease by about 20%. Some managers will be moved to positions without management responsibilities. The company is also merging separate teams, including units responsible for delivery from restaurants, retail stores, and corporate clients.
This will be Uber's largest staff reduction since the pandemic. After the reorganization, the company's workforce will be less than 30 thousand people. At the end of 2025, Uber employed about 34 thousand people.
The cuts are not occurring against the backdrop of deteriorating financial results. In the second quarter of 2026, Uber's revenue grew 12% year-over-year to $14.2 billion, and operating profit grew 30% to $1.9 billion. Net profit was $2.4 billion, although a significant portion was provided by a revaluation of the company's investments.
Over the past 12 months, Uber's free cash flow exceeded $10 billion for the first time. This, according to management, gives the company the ability to invest in new areas while reviewing its cost structure.
One of the main areas of such investment is autonomous vehicles. Uber plans to direct more than $10 billion over the next few years to investments, infrastructure, and commitments related to robotaxis. The company is not developing its own full autonomous driving system, but instead aims to become the main platform for services from various manufacturers of self-driving cars.
In early August, Uber reported that autonomous vehicles are already operating through its platform in seven cities, and by the end of the year their number could grow to 15. The company is expanding partnerships with Wayve, Pony.ai, Baidu, WeRide and other developers.
Meanwhile, Uber is tightening requirements for office work. After the restructuring, only about 1% of positions are to remain fully remote, while most employees must work in the office at least three days a week.
Khosrowshahi did not directly name artificial intelligence as the reason for the current reduction. However, earlier this year Uber already carried out targeted cuts in customer support and HR, while increasing the use of automation and AI in operational processes.
Sources: Bloomberg, Uber, TechCrunch
