Uber Cuts 3,300 Jobs, Exits Nigeria and Uganda

Uber is laying off 3,300 employees, about 10% of its total workforce, in the company’s largest job cuts since the start of the COVID pandemic. The news was first reported by Al Jazeera and TechCrunch, citing a memo the company sent to staff on Wednesday, September 2.

Serbian business outlet biznis.rs, citing SEEbiz, offers a different picture of the numbers. It reports that Uber declined to comment on exactly how many positions would be eliminated, and notes that the company had about 34,000 employees at the end of 2025, according to its annual report. The discrepancy between the sources stands: some cite the specific figure of 3,300, while others say the number has not been officially confirmed.

What Exactly Is Changing Inside the Company

The company is eliminating a share of its so called micro teams, units where a manager oversees only one or two employees, cutting their number by nearly half. The number of people seven levels removed from the chief executive is dropping by 20%. Roles are being concentrated in large hubs, primarily New York and San Francisco, while remote work will remain an option for about 1% of employees. The remaining roughly 99% are returning to the office.

Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive, explained the cuts in an email to employees:

The changes we’re introducing today are designed to accomplish two things: to make Uber simpler and faster, and to create more capacity to invest in our future.

In the same message, she added the reasoning behind shutting down the micro teams:

A leaner organization means clearer ownership of work, faster decisions, and more time spent building instead of coordinating.

Khosrowshahi did not tie the layoffs to artificial intelligence, even though Uber had already cut 10% of its customer support jobs in July, according to Bloomberg reporting cited by Al Jazeera, with the company saying at the time that it was adopting AI in that department. A hiring slowdown was also announced in May, again with AI cited as a factor.

Why Nigeria and Uganda

On the same day it announced the job cuts, the company confirmed it was immediately shutting down operations in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, and in Uganda. An Uber spokesperson told Al Jazeera:

“This decision is strictly limited to these two markets and does not affect our operations in the rest of the continent.”

The company says it remains committed to its business in sub-Saharan Africa, where it continues to see growth, and that its immediate priority is supporting drivers, riders, and local teams through the transition.

How Much Will Uber Save From the Layoffs

Analysts at Wedbush Securities estimate the layoffs will save Uber about $1.75 billion, money the company plans to redirect into growth areas. Uber has previously said it will invest more than $10 billion in self-driving vehicle development over the coming years, a plan Khosrowshahi’s message to employees directly links to the need for a simpler organization.

The investment comes as Uber faces mounting pressure in the robotaxi segment. Waymo already operates driverless rides in partnership with Uber in Atlanta and Austin, and is expanding into other cities on its own, while Tesla is also pushing more aggressively into the market.

Markets Reacted With a Stock Gain

Data on the market’s reaction also varies by source. Biznis.rs reports Uber shares rose by nearly 2%, while Al Jazeera puts the gain at 1.6% in midday trading on Wednesday. Both sources agree the increase came on the same day the layoffs were announced. Looking at the year to date, the stock remains down 8%, according to Al Jazeera.

The cuts come despite revenue growth. In its most recent annual report, Uber posted an 18% jump in consolidated revenue between 2024 and 2025, reaching $52 billion. Growth slowed in the second quarter of 2026, but revenue still rose 12%, to $14.2 billion, according to the company’s latest quarterly report.

According to the AFL-CIO, which tracks the pay gap between executives and workers at American companies, Khosrowshahi was paid 360 times the average Uber employee’s salary in 2025.

Part of a Wider Wave in the Tech Industry

According to Layoffs.fyi, which tracks job cuts across the tech industry, more than 128,000 people have been laid off at nearly 290 companies so far in 2026. Uber’s cut of 3,300 jobs fits that broader pattern, with one difference: the company is simultaneously announcing a multibillion-dollar investment in autonomous vehicles and posting revenue growth.