Uber Layoffs: Ride-Hailing Giant Cuts 23% of People and Places Division To Streamline Operations

Uber Technologies Inc. is reducing headcount within its "People and Places" division by 23 per cent as part of a restructuring effort to streamline operations, the company announced on Wednesday, June 3. The division encompasses human resources, recruitment, workplace facilities, and corporate culture. Orchestrated by newly promoted President Jill Hazelbaker, the targeted reductions primarily impact senior roles and account for less than 1 per cent of Uber’s global workforce of 34,000 employees.

The company's estimated 10 million drivers, who are classified as independent contractors, are unaffected by the corporate restructuring. Following the announcement, Uber shares pared early morning losses in New York trading, hovering down 0.6 per cent at USD 71.21. Meta Layoffs: Inside Meta’s ‘AI Draft’ As 7,000 Employees Reassigned to New AI Teams After 8,000 Workers Laid Off.

Corporate Restructuring at Uber Under New Leadership

The organisational changes follow the recent promotion of Jill Hazelbaker, a veteran executive who previously managed marketing, policy, and communications. Three weeks ago, Hazelbaker assumed an expanded role as President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. Her broadened remit now includes Uber’s safety operations and the People and Places organisation, following the departures of both department heads earlier this year. In a memo distributed to affected teams on Wednesday, Hazelbaker detailed the operational bottlenecks that prompted the restructuring. "As we've grown, parts of the organisation have become too complex and fragmented, with overlapping responsibilities, unclear ownership, and teams operating too far from the businesses and partners they support,” Hazelbaker wrote.

Mandatory Office Returns and Targeted Cost-Cutting

Alongside the layoffs, Uber is tightening its workplace policies. Human resources personnel who had previously received authorisation for remote work are now being instructed to return to physical offices. The directive aims to enforce strict compliance with Uber's three-day-a-week hybrid work mandate, which originally went into effect in June of last year. A corporate spokesperson clarified that Wednesday's staff reductions are strictly operational and entirely unrelated to artificial intelligence implementation. While several prominent technology firms have executed mass layoffs to fund AI-driven initiatives, Uber has maintained a more targeted approach to cost management.

Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi supported the restructuring in a separate communication to corporate leaders, emphasising the long-term strategic necessity of the decision. “These changes are necessary to maximize the effectiveness of the People team and the enormous potential ahead of us,” Khosrowshahi stated. Oracle Layoffs: 30,000 Employees to Exit Globally by June 15 in Company’s Largest-Ever Job Cut.

Background and Future Hiring Strategy of Uber

This round of corporate downsizing follows previous targeted cuts in 2023, which similarly focused on Uber's recruiting division and its online grocery subsidiary, Cornershop. Last month, the ride-hailing giant noted that it would slow general hiring due to efficiencies gained from internal AI tools. Despite the contraction within HR and administration, the company continues to recruit for core growth areas. Uber is actively hiring for more than 800 open roles globally, with a specific focus on engineering and operational positions dedicated to the commercialisation of autonomous robotaxis.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 03, 2026 11:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).