Uber frames the cuts as a necessary simplification after rapid expansion, while the scale of the restructuring underscores how sharply the company is willing to redraw its workforce to fund its next bets.

After building new products, entering new businesses and expanding its consumer and driver base, Uber concluded that its growth had also produced too much internal complexity. In an employee email published Wednesday, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the company had accumulated “more layers, more coordination, more fragmented ownership,” including structures that no longer fit a business of Uber’s scale.¹

The result is a reduction of about 3,300 jobs — roughly 10% of Uber’s global headcount — alongside a broader reorganisation of ridesharing, delivery and robotaxi operations.¹ Uber had about 34,000 employees at the end of 2025, according to its annual filing.² Its shares rose nearly 2% in morning trading after the announcement.²

Khosrowshahi’s plan is aimed squarely at the company’s organisational chart. Uber will cut the number of managers by 20%, halve small teams with only one or two reports, and reduce staff positioned more than seven layers below the CEO. Engineering, science and delivery units are being combined, while delivery operations across restaurants, retail and direct services will be brought together.¹

The company is also concentrating staff in hubs including New York and San Francisco, leaving fewer than 1% of employees eligible to work remotely.² Khosrowshahi did not blame artificial intelligence for the cuts. Instead, he argued that “a leaner organization will mean clearer ownership, faster decisions, and more time spent building rather than coordinating.”²

Uber says that newly freed capacity will support future investment, including a planned commitment of more than $10 billion to autonomous vehicles — a signal that the job cuts are not merely about trimming costs, but about shifting the company’s weight toward its next growth race.²