Uber just revealed on its Q3 earnings call that out of roughly 320 million trips and orders during Halloween week, only four rides were booked via AI agents, with Uber Eats logging just 500. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi noted app booking takes just 50 seconds anyway, delivering a reality check to the agentic web hype.
Tech giants are hitting the brakes on autonomous coding tools after costs spiraled out of control. Uber blew through its entire 2026 AI coding budget in just four months, while Microsoft is cutting direct Claude Code licenses. Why it matters: Agentic workflows burn tokens faster than expected, forcing companies to admit cheaper tokens don't automatically mean cheaper AI.
Uber just announced a deal to invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian, aiming to deploy 10,000 autonomous R2 vehicles by 2031. Starting in San Francisco and Miami in 2028, the robotaxi fleet will run exclusively on Uber's app. Why it matters: Uber wants to lock in hardware partners and cement itself as the platform for autonomous fleets before self-driving rivals push it aside.
Uber just acquired Segments.ai to beef up its Uber AI Solutions division. The startup specializes in multi-sensor and lidar annotation for autonomous vehicles and robotics, and its entire team will join Uber. Why it matters: Uber is aggressively turning its internal data and autonomy infrastructure into a commercial labeling powerhouse for outside AI builders.
Uber Eats just rolled out generative AI features that draft menu descriptions, summarize diner feedback, and digitally touch up or re-plate low-quality food photos. To balance out overly polished AI images, the app is also paying diners in-app credits to upload their own raw food pictures when leaving reviews.
Travis Kalanick's CloudKitchens just revealed "Bowl Builder," a robotic assembly line capable of churning out 300 meals an hour. The 60-square-foot machine precisely dispenses ingredients, lids, bags, and sends orders straight to temperature-controlled lockers for couriers. Kalanick claims this slashes restaurant labor costs from 35% down to just 7%.
Tesla just secured a commercial ride-hailing permit in California, clearing the path to compete head-on with Uber and Lyft. The catch is that human drivers are still mandatory—the permit doesn't cover autonomous vehicles. Tesla plans to have employees drive other staff first before rolling the app-based service out to the public.
Uber and Waymo just launched autonomous rides in Austin, Texas, giving Uber riders a chance to get picked up by an all-electric Jaguar I-PACE with no human driver behind the wheel. The ride comes at no extra cost, and passengers can easily opt in or out. It plants robotaxis right in Tesla's home territory ahead of its own planned rollout.
Uber is expanding its contractor model into AI data labeling through a new division called Scaled Solutions. The company is already hiring gig workers across the US, India, and Poland to handle training, testing, and localization tasks for clients like Aurora and Luma AI, turning one of tech's most tedious bottlenecks into its next ride-hailing style marketplace.
Amazon is reportedly partnering with brands like Uber, DoorDash, and Ticketmaster to make its upgraded Alexa actually handle tasks from start to finish. Instead of relying purely on LLMs to navigate web pages, Amazon wants direct API hooks with around 200 partners by Q3 next year. It's a far more practical bet on assistants actually getting things done.
Uber and Waymo just launched autonomous food delivery across the Phoenix metro area using Waymo's self-driving cars. Uber Eats customers within the 225-square-mile zone may be matched with an autonomous vehicle, with instructions to unlock the trunk using their phone—though they can still opt for a human courier at checkout.
OpenAI just leased two buildings at Uber’s Mission Bay headquarters, marking San Francisco’s biggest office deal since 2018. The setup will provide room for the ChatGPT maker to expand to more than 2,000 employees. Why it matters: After years of tech downscaling, the AI boom is actively reviving SF's struggling commercial real estate.
Uber just rolled out Waymo driverless vehicles to passengers in Metro Phoenix. Riders booking UberX or Uber Comfort can now get matched with a fully autonomous Waymo vehicle without needing a separate app. The launch comes right as competitor Cruise suffers a permit suspension, giving Waymo a massive distribution boost.
Uber Eats is reportedly working on an in-app AI chatbot to speed up food ordering. Discovered inside the app's hidden code, the assistant will ask users about their budget and food preferences to recommend meals and place orders. Uber confirmed the development, though a launch date remains unannounced.
