Major Restructuring at Uber: 23% Cut in HR Division
Ride-hailing giant Uber has confirmed a significant organizational restructuring this week. Approximately 23% of its People and Places division — the unit responsible for human resources, recruitment, workplace facilities, and company culture — has been cut.
This move follows just three weeks after Jill Hazelbaker was promoted to the newly created role of President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer on May 11, 2026. This role brought the People and Places organization under her oversight. In an internal memo to affected teams, Hazelbaker acknowledged that parts of the organization had become “complex and fragmented, with overlapping responsibilities”. She called for a “more connected, modern, operationally excellent organization.”
Despite widespread industry speculation linking headcount reductions to artificial intelligence adoption, Uber’s spokesperson explicitly ruled out AI as a direct factor in these specific cuts. The company noted that the affected roles represent well under 1% of Uber’s global workforce of approximately 34,000 employees. Senior-level positions made up a large share of the eliminated roles.
The restructuring comes amidst strong financial performance from Uber. The company reported first-quarter gross bookings of $53.7 billion, a 25% increase year over year. Uber still has more than 800 active job listings, many of which support its growing robotaxi services. However, tech sector layoffs in 2026 have now totaled nearly 150,000 jobs across 363 events — a pace running 44% above last year’s already-steep rate.
Source: Yahoo Finance – Uber layoffs: HR and workplace division cut 23%