After the acquisition of world rival Careem, Uber is undergoing major restructuring at the top level as the seat of Chief Operating Officer is abolished and the post of Chief Marketing Officer is combined with the communications and policy team under Jill Hazelbaker. Barney Harford and Rebecca Messina who previously held the post of COO and CMO respectively, will be leaving Uber as part of the dissolving of powers.
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will be handling additional responsibilities as COO as he looks to strengthen his position at the executive level leadership. Dara took over as CEO of the company back in 2017 after co-founder Travis Kalanick resigned on charges of knowing sexual harassment occurred in the company but he took no action against the accused. Dara has overseen Uber’s initial public offering since he became CEO and he is one of the highest paid CEOs of the United States.
In a memo, Dara addressed Uber employees regarding the change in the hierarchy saying:
I now have the ability to be even more involved in the day-to-day operations of our biggest businesses, the core platform of Rides and Eats, and have decided they should report directly to me. This will allow me to be more hands on and help our leaders problem-solve in real time, while also ensuring that we make our platform vision a reality.
Taking a look at Uber’s quarterly earnings report, the ride-hailing company reported a net loss of $1.01 billion in Q1 2019 after going public which was in line with analyst expectations. Add to that, Uber has virtually eliminated its biggest competition in the Middle East and South Asian side with the acquisition of Careem so it seems like they are on the right path.
How has your experience been with Uber ever since its launch in Pakistan? Do you think Dara’s strategies will pull Uber out of loss?
