Uber eliminated approximately 23% [1] of the jobs within its People and Places division on Wednesday.
This restructuring targets the company's human resources and workplace infrastructure. The move signals a shift in operational priorities as the company integrates new leadership to streamline its internal management systems.
The layoffs primarily affected senior recruitment and HR roles [1]. The cuts are part of a broader company-wide reshaping led by newly appointed President Jill Hazelbaker [1].
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said, "Changes are necessary" [4]. While the company is reducing its HR footprint, a spokesperson for Uber said the layoffs represent less than 1% [3] of the company's global workforce of about 34,000 employees [2].
Industry analysts often associate recent corporate downsizing with the implementation of automation. However, an Uber spokesperson said, "The cuts are unrelated to AI" [5]. The company maintains that the reductions were deemed necessary for the business [5].
The People and Places division manages the company's internal talent acquisition, and employee relations. By removing nearly a quarter of this specific division, Uber is reducing the overhead associated with its corporate staffing processes — a move that follows Hazelbaker's appointment to the presidency.
“"Changes are necessary."”
This targeted reduction suggests that Uber is pivoting away from aggressive headcount growth toward a leaner operational model. By slashing senior HR and recruitment roles while maintaining 99% of its total workforce, the company is optimizing its internal bureaucracy rather than executing a mass layoff of frontline or technical staff.
