Uber lost $ 2.9 billion in the first quarter, almost three times a year ago, due to the Covid-19 pandemic that "hit hard" the reservation of chauffeured cars, in words from boss Dara Khosrowshahi.
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In contrast, its meal delivery service at home is benefiting from the "Great containment" , with sales up 53% to 819 million, a still meager portion of the 3.5 billion in revenue accumulated in all. "We are encouraged by the recent increase in food deliveries and by the first signs of reopening of certain markets," tried to reassure Dara Khosrowshahi in the results statement released on Thursday.
Gross trip bookings (essentially revenues before tax, tolls or various driver compensation) fell 5% in one year to $ 10.9 billion, while those of Uber Eats jumped 52%. While the San Francisco-based company plans to achieve the long-awaited profitability in the last quarter of 2020, it said on Thursday that this target would be delayed by several quarters - but not by several years. The title of the group listed on the stock exchange a year ago lost almost 2% in electronic trading after the close of Wall Street.
3,700 jobs cut
Uber announced Wednesday the reduction of 3,700 jobs among the teams responsible for recruitment and user intelligence to reduce costs in the face of the serious crisis caused by the new coronavirus. These layoffs represent about 14% of the total number of employees in the chauffeur-driven car reservation business at the end of the year.
On the social front, Uber is engaged in a legal standoff with California, which sued him Tuesday for not having given its so-called "independent" drivers the status of employees, like the law of this American state has been planning it since the start of the year.
