Uber's head of robotaxis and autonomous delivery to leave
Sarfraz Maredia, who runs Uber's self-driving ride and delivery business, will leave the company on Nov. 16. He has been at Uber for more than 12 years and is taking a job outside the industry. His duties will be split between two other Uber leaders.
Sarfraz Maredia, Uber's global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, will leave the company on Nov. 16, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News reported.
Maredia announced the move in a post on LinkedIn on Tuesday, the Journal said. He said he will take a new role outside the autonomous vehicle industry.
He has been with Uber for more than 12 years, Bloomberg reported, as published by Transport Topics. An Uber spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg that he plans to move into a top role at a company in an unrelated industry, which he has not yet named publicly.
His job will be split between two colleagues, Bloomberg said. Samarth Kejriwal, a senior director who oversees driverless vehicle operations, and Aaron Emrich, who leads autonomous delivery, will take over his duties.
Uber does not build its own self-driving cars. It partners with robotaxi makers to offer rides on its app, Bloomberg reported. Under Maredia, Uber built the systems needed to bring those cars onto its app, including charging logistics, fleet tools, data pipelines and remote assistance, Bloomberg said.
Maredia's exit is the latest of several leadership departures in Uber's autonomous unit this year, Bloomberg said. Guy Peterson, who led business development for autonomous partnerships, joined Rivian's spinoff, Also, this month. Lando Juarez, the unit's head of legal, left in June.
The unit has also seen key partnerships with Alphabet's Waymo and Serve Robotics fall apart this year, Bloomberg reported. Uber is working with more than a dozen other partners to offer driverless rides in the U.S., the Middle East and Europe, but most of those efforts are still small.
Last month, Uber cut about 3,300 jobs, or 10% of its staff worldwide, Bloomberg said.
In a farewell memo to employees, Maredia said, "There's never been more momentum behind our AV efforts than there is today," Bloomberg reported. "Increasingly, our focus will be on scaling AVs in more cities."
What we know: Maredia leaves Uber Nov. 16, and two leaders will split his job.
What we don't: Which company he is joining.
Where outlets agree The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg both report that Maredia, Uber's global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, leaves Nov. 16 for a role outside his current industry.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.