Another Executive Departs Uber's Autonomous Vehicles Division

Another high-ranking executive is leaving Uber Technologies' autonomous vehicle division. According to Bloomberg, the company's global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, Sarfraz Maredia, will step down from his position on November 16 and move to an executive role outside the transportation sector.

Maredia had worked at Uber for 12 years. His departure represents a significant personnel change for the company at a time when Uber is seeking to expand the commercial use of self-driving vehicles and plans to invest more than $10 billion in developing this direction.

Following his departure, senior director Sumant Kejriwal will take over responsibility for self-driving vehicle operations, while Aaron Emrich will continue to lead the autonomous delivery division.

Leadership Changes Amid Expansion of Autonomous Transportation

Maredia's departure continues an ongoing wave of personnel changes within Uber's autonomous vehicle division. Other executives have also left the company this year, including former head of autonomous business development Guy Peterson and head of legal affairs Lando Xuares. Both moved to new companies working in the robotics field.

The changes come after Uber ended major partnerships with Alphabet-owned Waymo and Serve Robotics. Nevertheless, the company continues to view the development of autonomous transportation as a strategic priority.

Uber's goal is to use its own platform as a marketplace connecting fleets of self-driving vehicles with human drivers. According to the company's vision, this model will help balance daily fluctuations in demand and improve service availability.

In a farewell letter sent to employees, Maredia expressed confidence in the team's direction going forward. According to him, current priorities include expanding the use of self-driving vehicles in international markets and increasing the density of service delivery.

At the same time, Uber is carrying out broader cost-cutting initiatives aimed at reducing corporate expenses and redirecting resources toward its core business — ride-hailing, delivery, and autonomous technologies.

Following the release of Bloomberg's report, Uber shares were nearly unchanged in early Tuesday trading.