Since 2019, Uber has appointed its first COO as CEO Dara Khosrowshahi strikes senior leaders and relaxes control over ride-hailing companies.
Uber's mobile head Andrew MacDonald was appointed president and chief operating officer to take effect immediately, according to public documents. He will be the company's second command, overseeing the liquidity and food delivery aspects of the business.
MacDonald joined Uber in 2012 and was called MAC by his colleagues, and will report directly to Khosrowshahi. He will be responsible for the company's independent business and its membership services.
"This is the natural next step in our growth as a company, as we drive growth by increasing engagement across the platform," Khosrowshahi said. "MAC has proven itself to be an effective leader at Uber and I'm glad he's taking on this important new role."
The restructuring is because Uber seeks to be the leading platform for a variety of services, including restaurant reservations and retail, while improving coordination of its core food and ride-hailing businesses. It is also designed to be the preferred platform for self-driving cars.
According to an internal memo, Khosrowshahi assured Uber employees that he did not intend to leave the business. "I recognize that this change may cause some issues about my future, so it's clear to me: I don't have plans to go anywhere anytime soon," he wrote.
McDonald's promotion means that Khosrowshahi will reduce some of his daily responsibilities and will no longer be a "single-point failure" of key business decisions.
The newly appointed head of mobility and delivery will report to MacDonald along with the new head of autonomous action and delivery. Uber's delivery director Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty also announced on Monday nearly 13 years later.
A former Uber executive told the Financial Times that it is not clear what Khosrowshahi can do next if he is going to move forward from his current position.
Uber head has held positions since 2017, when he replaced co-founder Travis Kalanick. Khosrowshahi joined Expedia's Uber when the biker company got stuck on sexual harassment allegations. He led Uber to earn its first annual operating profit in 2023 and repeated the feat last year.
"Dala is the hardest-working person on the planet. My criticism is that he runs everything and has a lot of direct reports," the former executive said. "No other company would give him so much control."
MacDonald will move from New York to Toronto, with many of the company's leadership based on Khosrowshahi. He will receive $5 million in stock and performance targets.