Uber Technologies is set to cut about 10% of its global workforce as part of a broad organisational restructuring aimed at simplifying operations and speeding up decision-making.
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced the workforce reduction in a message to employees released on Wednesday, September 2, saying the company was making “significant organisational changes” across the business.
“Today, we're making a number of significant organisational changes across Uber,” Khosrowshahi said. “As a result, we will be reducing the size of our team by about 10 per cent.”
Uber employs roughly 34,000 people globally and operates in more than 70 countries, according to a recent filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The planned cuts could therefore affect several thousand employees, although the company has not disclosed the exact number or how the reductions will be distributed across markets and functions.
The company said the restructuring is intended to make its platform “simpler and faster” and reduce coordination delays as its operations have expanded across multiple businesses.
“A leaner organisation will mean clearer ownership, faster decisions, and more time spent building rather than coordinating,” Khosrowshahi said in the employee message.
The workforce reduction comes as Uber continues to reshape its global operations. Alongside its core ride-hailing business, the company has expanded into food and retail delivery as well as short-distance courier services.
Uber also announced on Wednesday that it would shut down its operations in Nigeria and Uganda, following its exit from Tanzania earlier this year. The company did not provide further details on the workforce impact of those market exits in the announcement.
Founded in 2009, Uber transformed urban transportation by connecting riders with drivers through its platform. Its expansion has since extended beyond mobility, although its driver model has faced scrutiny in several markets over compensation and working conditions.
The latest restructuring adds Uber to a broader wave of companies undertaking workforce reductions as they reorganise operations, streamline decision-making and reassess business priorities.