Uber deploys ChatGPT Work to more than 30,000 employees

Uber Deploys ChatGPT Work Across Global Workforce Following Restructuring

Seven weeks after declaring intentions to eliminate roughly 3,300 positions during a major corporate overhaul, Uber is extending out ChatGPT Work to more than 30,000 employees worldwide. Providing OpenAI’s agentic AI platform to various teams throughout Uber for daily assignments like workflow management, research, data analysis, and presentations, this company-wide rollout builds upon a prior pilot that included 1,000 workers.

The timing places Uber’s artificial intelligence expansion alongside its recent workforce reduction. Neither entity has stated that both events are linked, and no evidence indicates the planned layoffs were prompted by the integration of ChatGPT Work. According to OpenAI, this widespread adoption follows an initial pilot involving 1,000 employees and marks Uber’s inaugural company-wide implementation of an agentic system designed specifically for knowledge work.

Uber Cuts 3,300 Jobs to Simplify Organization

On September 2, 2026, Uber announced plans to reduce its workforce by approximately 10%, with reports putting the number of affected jobs at around 3,300. Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi stated that the restructuring was intended to simplify the organization, reduce management layers, and help teams move faster. Uber also stated that it wanted to focus its people and investment on its most important opportunities.

The company framed the changes as an organizational restructuring rather than a reflection of employees’ contributions. Uber did not cite artificial intelligence as the reason for the planned cuts. However, the subsequent expansion of ChatGPT Work raises a broader question for the industry regarding how the technology changes everyday workplace tasks and company organization.

Deployment of ChatGPT Work to 30,000 Employees

OpenAI announced on October 22, 2026, that ChatGPT Work would become available to more than 30,000 employees across Uber’s global workforce, with techtimes.com reporting that the system operates on the GPT-6.1 Sol model with a 1.05 million-token context window. ChatGPT Work is designed to handle complex, multi-step tasks autonomously across applications rather than simply answering individual questions. It supports activities such as researching information, preparing meeting briefs, creating presentations, and analyzing data.

OpenAI stated that the platform connects with tools including Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Slack. Uber is supporting the rollout with an internal AI skills library, approved integrations, and dedicated employee training. The technology is being introduced across teams including operations, finance, marketing, and product, while software engineering teams continue to use Codex, OpenAI’s coding-focused tool.

AI Pods Help Employees Automate Operational Tasks

During the initial pilot, Uber experimented with teams designed to help employees identify tasks that could be automated. According to Uber vice-president of engineering Sumanth Sukumar, 30 AI engineers were paired with teams for two weeks to help automate key parts of their work, groups he described as AI pods. Sukumar told TechCrunch that employees used the tools to analyze complex operational data, identify trends, and develop recommendations.

Such instances demonstrate ways Uber investigates artificial intelligence to assist with routine enterprise duties, encompassing assignments staff members previously performed by hand. Even so, they fail to prove that Uber is leveraging ChatGPT Work to abolish positions or that the software influenced the September corporate overhaul. Eliminating entire jobs and streamlining individual chores result in distinct outcomes, and the organization has not tied the two announcements together.

Uber and OpenAI Do Not Disclose Financial Results

The expansion creates uncertainty regarding the financial and operational impact of introducing AI tools across a workforce of this size. TechCrunch reported that Uber did not disclose how much the deployment would cost. Financial gains, time savings, and productivity boosts resulting from the broader launch were absent from OpenAI’s public statement.

OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman described the deployment as a step toward giving more employees access to advanced AI capabilities and tools for complex work. Uber chief technology officer Praveen Neppalli Naga stated that the company wanted to give employees the tools to innovate, solve problems, and help shape its future.