Uber recently laid off approximately 3,300 employees, representing 10% of its global workforce. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stated that the restructuring aims to reduce management layers and eliminate teams where managers oversee only one or two direct reports. The company did not cite artificial intelligence as a primary driver for these layoffs in official communications.
Despite the layoffs, employees report that AI tools have become deeply integrated into daily operations. Staff members frequently use tools like Gemini and ChatGPT to prepare for client meetings and answer internal questions via the company's proprietary Genie chatbot. Some employees noted that these tools significantly reduced the time required to complete specific tasks.
The company's approach to AI remains inconsistent across departments. While some teams were encouraged to use AI for customer support and internal queries, others were explicitly warned against letting AI perform their work entirely. Some staff members reported using tools like Glean to generate responses for passengers and drivers, even when such use was not officially mandated.
Financial constraints regarding AI adoption have also emerged. In the first half of the year, Uber began cutting access to services like Claude after executives determined that the productivity gains did not justify the full annual budget expenditure. The company continues to explore AI applications in finance and human resources through its dedicated agent teams.
