Uber cuts 10% of global workforce in biggest layoffs since the pandemic

Uber is cutting about 10% of its global workforce as it removes management layers, reduces the number of small teams and brings more employees back to the office.

The company says the move will generate savings that it plans to reinvest in growth and innovation. It also wants to invest more in drivers, couriers and merchants, expand its core businesses and develop autonomous rides.

“A leaner organisation will mean clearer ownership, faster decisions, and more time spent building rather than coordinating,” chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi told employees on Wednesday.

The company had about 34,000 employees at the end of 2025, according to its latest annual report.

“Uber plans to slash as many as 3,300 jobs, mainly in management roles, as it looks to funnel cash towards its pivot into robotaxis,” Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell, said in a note.

She added that Uber was racing against Alphabet-owned Waymo and Tesla in the robotaxi market while also facing strong competition in food delivery.

To find out how many jobs are at risk in Europe, Euronews contacted Uber, but the company declined to say how many European jobs are affected or which offices could be hit. Uber does not publish a breakdown of its employees by region, so it is unclear how many work in Europe, including the UK.

Khosrowshahi said affected employees had already been told, except in countries where Uber must first follow local procedures. In some European countries, the final number of cuts may therefore not be known until consultations required under national labour laws have been completed.

Hewson said Uber would be hoping for a boost to its food-delivery business when it completes its takeover of Berlin-based Delivery Hero, agreed in July. However, she said its US operation was in greater need of improvement, having lost ground to rival DoorDash.

“Uber hopes its large existing customer base can give it the edge in its robotaxi drive and has received permits from Transport for London to launch a commercial trial with UK partner Wayve,” Hewson said.

Founded in 2009, Uber grew rapidly from a ride-hailing platform into a much broader business that also delivers food and retail products and offers courier services.

The company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019. It had a market value of about $157bn (€135bn) based on its share price on Thursday.

Which jobs are at risk?

The clearest risk is to corporate roles focused mainly on coordinating work between different teams. Uber is also reducing the number of management layers and giving managers responsibility for larger groups of employees.

An Uber spokesperson said the number of management positions would fall by 20%, although some managers would move into non-management roles rather than leave the company.

Uber also said it had reduced the number of employees working more than seven management levels below the chief executive by 20%. It has almost halved the number of “micro-teams” where managers have only one or two people reporting to them.

These figures do not mean that every employee in those groups has been dismissed. Some roles have changed, while some employees may now report through a simpler management structure.

Uber is also combining its three delivery operations teams, covering restaurants, retail and direct deliveries. These businesses will now be run through combined teams at global, regional and country level.

The company said running them separately had led to duplicated work and slower decisions. It is also bringing together its Core Services Engineering and Science teams.

The cuts apply to Uber employees, not its drivers and couriers, who are generally treated as independent contractors.

Fewer offices and remote jobs

Uber also plans to bring employees together in a smaller number of main offices.

Global teams will be concentrated mainly in New York and San Francisco, while regional, national and technology teams will work from selected hubs.

Most employees who work fully remotely will be asked to move to an office. Going forward, only about 1% of Uber employees will work fully remotely.

The company will also enforce its existing hybrid-working policy more strictly. This requires employees to work from the office three days a week.

In a separate move announced on Wednesday, Uber said it was closing its operations in Nigeria and Uganda, after leaving Tanzania earlier this year.

Uber’s share price rose after the changes were announced on Wednesday.