Uber is Hiring More Engineers Because AI is Making Them More Valuable, CEO Says

Uber is hiring more engineers rather than fewer because AI tools have made them 'superhumans,' CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said, pushing back against the industry trend of using productivity gains to justify headcount cuts. Speaking on the 'On with Kara Swisher' podcast, Khosrowshahi noted that other tech executives see AI making engineers 20% to 30% more productive and conclude they need 20% to 30% fewer engineers. His view: every engineer has become more valuable. Between 80% and 90% of Uber's developers now use AI tools, according to Khosrowshahi.

The company no longer keeps scores of engineers on call to diagnose issues because AI agents are constantly monitoring systems, he said. The latest AI models are producing 'hundreds of millions of dollars of benefit' for Uber, he said, describing the company as an 'applied AI' business that harnesses the technology for pricing, payments, matching, routing, identification and customer complaints.

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