Uber is laying off 10 percent of its workforce, the company announced Wednesday, in part as an effort to eliminate layers of management.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in a staff email published by the company cited a desire to improve organizational health and simplify teams as part of the impetus for the layoffs, which will affect about 3,300 people.
"In all, we've reduced the number of employees who sit 7+ layers from the CEO by 20% and the number of micro-teams by nearly 50 percent," according to Khosrowshahi. "The outcome is a simpler org chart geared toward building versus managing."
Khosrowshahi also said the company is "asking the vast majority of remote employees to move to an office," and that only about 1 percent of employees would work remotely. The company wants to concentrate "teams in a smaller number of key hubs," according to the email.
Uber, Wayve Begin London Autonomous Rides
Meanwhile, Uber and AI company Wayve have launched autonomous rides in London, the companies announced Thursday.
Robotaxi services initially will be "supervised," with a Transport for London-licensed private hire driver onboard. From Thursday, users requesting UberX, Uber Electric or Uber Comfort rides will be able to travel anywhere within London in an autonomous vehicle, except on trips from London's airports.
AV rides are offered at no extra cost, and users can choose to accept or switch to a non-AV ride before the car arrives, according to Uber.
The launch follows the companies receiving permits last month from London's transport authority to bring autonomous rides to the U.K. capital. Initially, 15 of Wayve's autonomous Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles have been granted licenses. The fleet is expected to "grow thoughtfully over time" in line with rider demand and regulation, the companies said in a statement.
London is the second European city in which Uber has introduced robotaxis, following its launch in the Croatian capital of Zagreb earlier this year.