Jody Serrano
Editor in chiefEditor in Chief at Xataka On. Before joining Webedia, I was a tech reporter at Gizmodo and The Messenger. While I've covered all sorts of things related to technology, I'm specialized in writing about social media, Internet culture, Twitch, and streamers.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has a message for employees that are unhappy over recent changes to its remote work policy: Get used to it.
The company has drawn attention in recent days over its decision to stand by the changes to its remote work and sabbatical policies. The changes represent the latest blow to remote work, which tech companies once said was the future. However, the winds of change are now blowing in a different direction, indicating that remote work may play an even smaller role in the tech industry going forward.
Anchor days. The storm clouds started swirling at the end of April when Khosrowshahi sent employees a memo informing them about a new change in policy: Instead of coming in two days, workers would now be required to come in three days per week.
The change affects what Uber refers to as “anchor days,” which are days when employees are required to work in the office. Previously, Uber management established anchor days as Tuesdays and Thursdays, but under the new policy, employees will be asked to come into the office, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Notably, the policy changes included employees that the company had previously given approval to work remotely. Going forward, the company would hire people for remote positions only “very sparingly,” Khosrowshahi said.
Paid sabbaticals. The memo also outlined changes to Uber’s paid sabbatical program, which grants employees one month of paid leave after working at the company for five years. Under the new policy, employees would have to work for Uber for eight years to qualify for a sabbatical.
In his note, Khosrowshahi explained that the five-year requirement was established when Uber was a younger company. At that time, spending five years at Uber was considered a feat, but that had now changed.
The CEO said that these changes would allow Uber to move faster as a company, CNBC reported.
“Our collective view as a leadership team is that while remote work has some benefits, being in the office fuels collaboration, sparks creativity, and increases velocity,” he said.
Employee backlash. The changes sparked immediate backlash from employees, according to the outlet, which led Uber to organize an all-hands meeting to discuss the changes.
At the meeting, workers pushed back against the changes, reportedly stating that the sabbatical was important given the level of burnout in the company. They also criticized Khosrowshahi, who was not moved.
“If you’re here for a sabbatical and this change causes you to change your mind, it is what it is,” Khosrowshahi said at the April 29 meeting. “I’m sorry about that. The reason we want you to be here is the impact on the company. The learning here. We recognize some of these changes are going to be unpopular with folks. This is a risk we decided to take.”
As for the new in-office attendance requirements, employees complained that there was not enough space for everyone to work in the office on anchor days—something they expected would now get worse.
The CEO didn’t offer an immediate solution to this problem, saying that the company was planning on adding 700,000 square feet of space between its San Francisco and Seattle offices. The construction will be carried out throughout 2026.
Digging in. Khosrowshahi remained firm on the changes to Uber’s policy in an interview after the all-hands meeting leaked. Speaking to CNBC, he argued that offering two remote workdays was the “right mix” of flexibility and that Uber wanted employees in the office “working hard.”
When asked about what would happen to employees that were hired with a remote contract, who will now be required to go into the office, Khosrowshahi said they would have “to make a choice.”
“They’ve got to make their own choice, do they want to come to the office, or is working remotely really important for them? The good news is the economy is still really strong, the job market is strong,” the CEO said. “People who work at Uber, they have lots of opportunities everywhere.”
He went on to say that Uber wanted them to stay but needed them to accept its conditions.
“[T]his is a company where you have to work hard, we’re not going to make excuses for that, and you have to work hard together.”
Image | Jon Tyson | Priscilla Du Preez
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