Uber lays off 400 employees from global marketing team

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Uber lays off 400 employees from global marketing team

The Associated Press Published Monday, July 29, 2019 7:45PM EDT

This March 1, 2017, file photo shows an exterior view of the headquarters of Uber in San Francisco. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Eric Risberg, File)

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NEW YORK -- Uber is laying off 400 employees in marketing, about a third of the marketing team's global workforce of 1,200 people.

The move, announced Monday, follows a leadership shake-up in June when CEO Dara Khosrowshahi combined the company's marketing, communications and policy teams.

The ride-hailing company has struggled to prove it can become profitable and its stock has traded mostly below its IPO price since its debut in May. Uber has blamed its losses partly on its costly promotions to attract riders and drivers. Those promotions are crafted by its marketing department.

Khosrowshahi installed Jill Hazelbaker to lead up marketing and public affairs in June. On Monday they announced a more centralized structure for marketing and said they want to build a consistent brand narrative across audiences, products and regions.