Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, Sarfraz Maredia, will leave the company on November 16, according to Bloomberg. An Uber spokesperson confirmed that Maredia, who has worked at the company for more than 12 years, plans to take a senior position at a company in another industry. His next employer has not been publicly identified.
Maredia’s responsibilities will be divided between two colleagues. Samarth Kejriwal, a senior director responsible for driverless vehicle operations, will take on part of his portfolio, while Aaron Emrich, head of autonomous delivery, will oversee the remaining responsibilities.
Further Leadership Changes in Autonomous Operations
Maredia’s departure follows other executive changes within Uber’s autonomous mobility business.
Guy Peterson, who led business development for autonomous partnerships, joined Rivian’s micromobility spinoff, Also, as chief business officer in October, according to Bloomberg. Lando Juarez, who headed legal affairs for Uber’s autonomous unit, left the company in June to join Bedrock Robotics.
In a farewell memo to employees, Maredia expressed confidence in the company’s autonomous vehicle strategy.
“There’s never been more momentum behind our AV efforts than there is today,”
he wrote, according to Bloomberg.
“Increasingly, our focus will be on scaling AVs in more cities and achieving higher supply density in those markets.”
Uber Continues to Develop Autonomous Vehicle Partnerships
During Maredia’s tenure, Uber developed infrastructure intended to support third-party autonomous vehicles operating through its platform. This included charging logistics, fleet management tools, data pipelines and remote-assistance systems.
The company has pursued a model that combines autonomous vehicles with human drivers and delivery couriers on its platform. Uber has committed more than $10 billion toward bringing autonomous driving technology to market over the coming years and is working with more than a dozen partners on robotaxi services, according to the report.
Its efforts span markets in the United States, the Middle East and Europe, although many deployments remain limited in scale.
The autonomous division has also experienced changes in its partnerships. Bloomberg reported that Uber’s relationships with Alphabet’s Waymo and Serve Robotics had ended. Uber continues to work with other companies on autonomous mobility and delivery services.
Changes Amid Broader Corporate Restructuring
The leadership changes come as Uber restructures its wider organisation. In September, the company announced plans to cut approximately 3,300 jobs, or about 10% of its global workforce, as part of an effort to simplify its management structure and redirect resources toward ride-hailing, delivery and autonomous vehicle operations.
The reductions followed earlier cuts in human resources and customer service.
Uber shares declined 1.6% in premarket trading in New York on Tuesday, according to the report. The stock had fallen approximately 13% year to date through Monday’s close.
Maredia’s departure adds another leadership transition to Uber’s autonomous mobility division as the company continues developing its partner network and the operational systems needed to support autonomous vehicles on its platform.
