Uber’s CTO Praveen Naga is outlining a new approach to applying AI across the company, emphasizing end-to-end workflow redesign rather than improving single tasks. According to reports, Uber is moving away from a narrow focus on faster execution and instead sends teams of top engineers into multiple departments to reevaluate how work is done and identify productivity opportunities.
The strategy includes deploying specialized groups—described as “Agentic Pods”—into functions such as finance and legal. These teams work to build and test AI tools directly tied to departmental needs, with an emphasis on measuring time savings and operational impact. One cited example is finance planning and reporting, where the company says AI tools reduce the time required for financial planning and related reporting tasks.
The coverage also notes that Naga previously discussed major spending concerns tied to the company’s budget outlook, and that his recent commentary and internal efforts focus on lessons for using AI to generate measurable efficiency gains.
