Uber lays off 3,700 as virus upends sharing economy
NEW YORK » In a world where the coronavirus pandemic has turned social distancing into a new way of life, companies whose business models bank on people’s willingness to share their personal space are now struggling.
Uber said Wednesday it’s cutting 3,700 full-time workers, or about 14% of its workforce, as people fearful of infection either stay indoors or try to limit contact with others to minimize risk when they do venture out. Its main rival Lyft as well as homesharing service Airbnb have likewise announced cuts because of falling usage.
“Consumers are going to be more worried about getting into Ubers and Lyfts than into taxis, and they’re going to be more worried about going to who-knows-who’s house or apartment under Airbnb than they will be about going to a Hilton or Holiday Inn,” said Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. “If you look at lodging, if you look at rides, the sharing platforms face a bigger customer confidence hurdle than the traditional players, probably for the first time in years.”
Ride-hailing companies were already struggling to demonstrate a path to profitability well before the pandemic began. And no one knows whether the companies that rely on sharing backseats and living rooms will survive after the pandemic is over.
“We cannot predict the trajectory or timing of the eventual recovery, but it’s clear that macro trends will continue to negatively impact our business,” said Logan Green, co-founder and CEO of Lyft, in a conference call with investors Wednesday.
Uber’s layoffs and related costs like severance will cost about $20 million for the San Francisco-based company, which had already imposed a hiring freeze. Uber has offered up to 14 days of financial assistance to drivers and delivery workers who were diagnosed with the COVID-19 disease, or placed in quarantine.
Those ride-hailing drivers still on the road are trying to avoid infection and patch together enough fares to put dinner on the table even as ridership plummets.
“A lot of us are living on the razor’s edge of homelessness,” said Jerome Gage,
28, who drives for Uber’s rival Lyft in Los Angeles. “We have to work or we don’t eat.”
Gage, who as a contract worker does not have paid sick leave or health insurance, has seen his income plummet as the number of rides he provided fell about
75%. He got one disposable mask and a few small bottles of sanitizer from Lyft, but said it’s not enough to keep him safe.
“Any trip, you could contract the virus,” Gage said. “So every single day we’re on the road we’re in harm’s way.”
Lyft announced last month it would lay off 982 people, or 17% of its workforce in the face of sinking ridership. The San Francisco company expects to spend $28 million to $36 million on expenses related to employee severance and benefit costs.
In the first quarter, which only captured the beginning of the outbreak, Lyft’s revenue grew 23% to $955.7 million, the company said Wednesday. But there was a sharp decline in rides in mid-March, and in April Lyft’s rides were down 75% compared to last year, Green said.
“The virus is testing our everyday way of life and is having a profound impact on our customers and our business,” he said. “We expect that rider demand for our platform will be down for the foreseeable future. At the same time, with record unemployment, we expect driver supply to outstrip rider demand.”
The number of active riders grew just 3% in the quarter, the company said Wednesday. Lyft lost $398.1 million, which was better than the year-ago loss of $1.1 billion when the company had higher expenses related to its IPO.