Uber to Lay Off 10 Per Cent of Employees for Company Efficiency

Uber is implementing layoffs affecting around 10 per cent of its employees as part of a company-wide restructuring and efficiency drive. According to a report from Engadget on Wednesday (2/9) local time, Uber had approximately 34,000 employees at the end of 2025.

In a memo to staff, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stated that the company will simplify its team structure and reduce management layers to enable faster operations while creating more space for investment. “A leaner organisation will make responsibilities clearer, accelerate decision-making, and provide more time for building rather than coordinating,” said Dara.

He noted that the efficiency gained from this restructuring would result in savings that could be reinvested to support the company’s growth and innovation. Dara explained that while Uber’s business has grown rapidly over the last five years—with revenue nearly tripling—this growth has also made the company’s internal structure increasingly complex.

Based on internal surveys, many employees felt too much time was being spent discussing various issues and coordinating between teams. To address this, Uber is eliminating several positions focused on coordination, reducing management layers, and merging teams that were deemed to cause duplication of work and slow down decision-making.

In addition to streamlining the organisational structure, Uber will also centralise more teams in several key locations. The company will also tighten its hybrid work policy; most employees working entirely remotely will be required to return to the office at least three days a week. Dara estimates that only about one per cent of Uber employees will continue to work fully remotely in the future.

This restructuring comes as Uber is also increasing its investment in the autonomous vehicle sector. Last month, the company committed to investing up to US$10 billion (Rp177 trillion) to develop its autonomous vehicle business, following the sale of its driverless vehicle division in 2020. According to Dara, the restructuring steps are expected to help the company build a stronger organisation for the long term.