Uber has promoted Balaji Krishnamurthy to chief financial officer, elevating its head of strategic finance and investor relations at a moment when the company is pushing harder into autonomous vehicles. The move pairs a capital markets insider steeped in autonomy with a strategy that increasingly hinges on software partnerships, offtake commitments, and rapid city-by-city deployment.
A CFO with AV DNA aligns with Uber’s autonomous push
Krishnamurthy arrives in the CFO seat with a resume that resonates with Uber’s driverless ambitions. He has been one of the company’s most visible internal advocates for autonomy and serves on the board of Waabi, an AI-first autonomous trucking company. That perspective aligns with Uber’s ecosystem approach: partner broadly, integrate services into the marketplace, and avoid the heavy capital burden of building vehicles in-house.
The promotion also suggests continuity in investor messaging. As Uber pivots from proving profitability to scaling durable cash generation, it needs a finance chief who can translate AV milestones into clear unit-economics narratives. Krishnamurthy’s background in investor relations positions him to connect autonomy roadmaps with margin trajectories and payback periods that public markets will scrutinize.
Funding the driverless push through partners and offtake
On the latest earnings call, Uber outlined a three-pronged capital strategy for AVs: selectively invest in software partners, back hardware makers through equity stakes or offtake agreements, and support infrastructure providers. Offtake agreements—commitments to purchase a set volume of AV capacity—can help suppliers finance expensive fleets while giving Uber predictable access to driverless miles without owning cars.
The timing is calculated. Uber reported Q4 revenue of $14.37 billion, up 20% year over year, buoyed by resilient delivery demand and high-frequency mobility usage. With strengthening free cash flow, management has more flexibility to seed AV supply where regulations and readiness allow, while keeping a disciplined, asset-light profile.
There is a strategic hedge at work. Autonomy promises lower variable costs per trip over time, but the technology introduces new fixed costs in compute, mapping, fleet maintenance, and insurance. By leaning on partners—from chipmakers and cloud providers to vehicle OEMs—Uber aims to capture marketplace upside while resisting balance-sheet risk.
Rollout Targets And Competitive Landscape
Uber says it expects to facilitate AV trips in up to 15 cities globally by the end of 2026, with a roughly even split between the U.S. and international markets, and intends to be the largest AV trip facilitator by 2029. The company already supports autonomous rides with Waymo in the Phoenix metro area and has expanded robot-powered deliveries through partners such as Serve Robotics on Uber Eats.
Partnership breadth matters. Uber maintains ties to Aurora through its freight business after selling its in-house ATG unit, and its CFO’s link to Waabi underscores a long-haul autonomy angle alongside urban robotaxis. As regulators from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to state public utilities commissions sharpen oversight, diversified partners give Uber multiple on-ramps as different geographies mature at different speeds.
Internationally, momentum is building in policy as well as technology. The United Kingdom’s Automated Vehicles Act created a framework for commercial AV services, and Middle Eastern transport authorities are actively defining deployment rules. These markets could help Uber reach its city targets even as certain U.S. locales take a cautious stance following high-profile incidents across the industry.
Why the CFO shift matters now for Uber’s AV strategy
Investor expectations are shifting from “if” to “how fast.” Management has framed autonomy as a multi-trillion opportunity that amplifies Uber’s network—cutting wait times, unlocking supply during peak periods, and improving reliability in underserved zones. The finance organization will be central to adjudicating where AV miles are economical versus where human drivers remain the superior option in the near term.
Krishnamurthy succeeds Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah, who departs after three years. An internal promotion minimizes disruption and signals that the current capital allocation playbook stays intact: disciplined investment, partner-first execution, and rigorous payback thresholds. Expect sharper disclosure around AV city launches, contracted capacity, and contribution margin impact as pilots convert to scaled services.
What to watch next as Uber scales autonomous operations
Key markers in the coming quarters include:
- New offtake deals with AV manufacturers
- Expansion beyond Phoenix into additional U.S. and international hubs
- Clearer KPIs for autonomous trips booked through the Uber app
- Evidence that autonomous delivery and freight lanes can shoulder more volume at attractive unit costs
If Uber can sequence regulatory wins with reliable supply from partners—and keep capital intensity contained—the CFO transition could mark the start of a faster cadence in autonomy rollouts. The stakes are straightforward: whoever aggregates the most safe, low-cost driverless miles first will shape the economics of ride-hailing for the next decade.
