Uber CEO To Workers: Return To Office Or Leave

Uber is cracking down on remote work as its self-driving cars quietly outperform human drivers.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has a message for employees unhappy with returning to the office: there’s the door, as noted by Business Insider.

In a recent CNBC interview, he brushed off concerns that tightening work policies could push workers away. “The good news is the economy is still really strong. The job market is strong,” he said. “People who work at Uber, they have lots of opportunities everywhere.”

Business Insider reports that the new rules, taking effect in June, require employees to be in the office three days a week, including those who had previously worked remotely. Paid sabbaticals will now take longer to earn.

But Khosrowshahi made it clear these changes aren’t going anywhere. “We want them, obviously, to take the opportunity with us, to take the opportunity to learn,” he said, as reported by Business Insider. “We want more people in the office,” adding that the hybrid setup still allows working from home on Mondays and Fridays.

Business Insider reports that a Uber spokesperson claimed the policy isn’t intended to drive people out. But the tone from the top echoes a growing shift in Big Tech: scale back perks, raise expectations, and let dissenters walk.

Meta and Amazon have taken similar stances, with executives telling staff to “disagree and commit” or simply move on. Performance-linked layoffs have become the norm, as noted by Business Insider .

All this comes as Uber’s autonomous ambitions are quietly accelerating. The Verge reports that in Austin, Uber’s robotaxi fleet—run by Waymo—is outperforming almost every human driver in the city. “So far, this launch has exceeded our expectations,” Khosrowshahi said in the company’s Q1 earnings call, adding that Waymo’s vehicles are “busier than over 99% of all drivers in Austin.”

As Uber tightens the leash on its human workforce, its self-driving cars are thriving. The timing raises a chilling question: is pushing workers out part of the plan?