Uber Technologies is cutting approximately 3,300 corporate jobs globally in its largest workforce reduction since the COVID-19 pandemic, as the ride-hailing giant moves to streamline its operations and prepare for an increasingly automated future.
The company announced the restructuring on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, with the job cuts affecting about 10% of its corporate workforce.
Uber Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi told employees that the company had become too complex after years of rapid expansion, creating multiple layers of management that slowed decision-making.
The restructuring will therefore focus heavily on simplifying the company’s organisational structure, reducing management layers and consolidating teams.
“A leaner organization will mean clearer ownership, faster decisions, and more time spent building rather than coordinating,” Khosrowshahi said in a memo to employees.
The 3,300 job losses represent Uber’s largest round of layoffs since May 2020, when the company eliminated approximately 6,700 positions as the coronavirus pandemic brought the global ride-hailing industry to a near standstill.
Unlike the 2020 layoffs, however, Uber is not responding to a collapse in demand.
The latest restructuring comes as the company continues to grow while facing pressure to operate more efficiently and adapt to significant changes in the transportation industry.
Uber had approximately 34,000 employees globally at the end of 2025, according to its annual report. The latest cuts will consequently bring its corporate workforce below 30,000.
The company said the changes were necessary after years of expansion created a structure with too many management layers and small teams.
Uber plans to reduce by 20% the number of employees who sit seven or more reporting layers below the CEO. It will also almost halve the number of teams whose managers oversee only one or two direct reports.
Some teams will be combined as part of the restructuring, while the company will concentrate more employees around key operational hubs.
Uber’s revenue has grown substantially in recent years, but the expansion also created additional management and coordination requiremen
The CEO said the company now needs to remove unnecessary bureaucracy and give employees clearer ownership of their responsibilities. The savings generated from the layoffs will be redirected towards growth, innovation and areas that Uber considers strategically important.
“It will also generate savings that we intend to reinvest in growth, innovation, and the capabilities that will matter most over the coming years,” Khosrowshahi said.
The company is also facing a rapidly changing transportation market, particularly the emergence of autonomous vehicles. The layoffs come as Uber increases its focus on autonomous vehicles, commonly known as AVs, and robotaxis.
Companies such as Waymo and other technology and automotive firms are expanding driverless transportation services, creating a potential challenge to Uber’s traditional model, which relies on human drivers.
The company has committed more than $10 billion towards autonomous vehicle technology and related investments.
The restructuring also comes with a significant change to Uber’s remote-work arrangements. The company plans to limit fully remote positions to approximately 1% of its workforce.
Most corporate employees will continue working under Uber’s existing hybrid policy, which requires staff to work from the office three days a week. Uber intends to concentrate more employees in key hubs as it reorganises its workforce.
Uber shares rose after the announcement as investors viewed the cost-cutting measures as a potential way for the company to improve efficiency and redirect spending towards future growth.
The company’s stock has faced pressure this year amid concerns about competition in autonomous transportation and the long-term impact of robotaxis on its ride-hailing business.
