Following on big layoff announcements in recent days by Airbnb and Lyft, Uber announced Wednesday that it is letting go of 3,700 employees due to the pandemic lockdown.
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says he will be waiving his base salary as well.
"With people taking fewer trips, the unfortunate reality is that there isn’t enough work for many of our front-line customer support employees," the company said in a statement. "Since we don’t know how long a recovery will take, we are taking steps to bring our costs in line with the size of our business today. This was a tough decision, but it is the right one to help protect the company’s long-term health and ensure we come out of this crisis stronger."
The latest round of layoffs was rumored to be even larger — upwards of 4,000 or 5,000 — but it is still represents about 4 or 5 percent of the company's estimated workforce.
Last week's layoffs at Lyft represented about 17 percent of the company's workforce.
The cuts, as SFGate reports, are primarily in customer support and recruiting. Last year, the company eliminated around 1,185 jobs, cutting much of its marketing department, and laying off workers in its Eats, autonomous vehicles, safety, and insurance teams.
In today's report, the company said that costs associated with severance will be around $20 million, as the Associated Press reports. Uber is set to report its first-quarter earnings to investors on Thursday.
Related: Airbnb Lays Off 1,900 People, Or 25 Percent of Its Workforce
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