More than 300 Uber employees in Chicago will lose their jobs in a “mass layoff” as the rideshare company seeks to reduce its workforce by 10%.
The reduction was announced Tuesday in a memo to employees from Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. The memo, titled “Building a simpler, faster Uber,” said the company was making “significant organizational changes” and simplifying team structures despite Uber’s growth over the past five years.
“We’ve built new products, expanded into new businesses, reached more consumers and supported more earners, and become a much larger and stronger company,” Khosrowshahi wrote. “But that growth has also brought complexity: more layers, more coordination, more fragmented ownership, and in some cases structures that made sense when businesses were smaller but no longer serve us well at our current scale.”
In addition to “team simplification,” Khosrowshahi said it was focusing on its location strategy of where roles and teams should be based.
The announcement about reductions came the same day Uber said it was partnering with Wayve to launch the “first-ever autonomous rides in the UK.”
According to a notice posted by the Illinois WARN Act, the layoffs include 363 positions from Uber’s Chicago office, at 433 West Van Buren Street. According to the notice, the reason listed is “mass layoff,” with a first layoff date listed as Nov. 2.
Uber did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment.