Uber gives all 30,000 employees access to ChatGPT Work
Uber has expanded ChatGPT Work from a 1,000-person pilot to its entire global workforce in a widened partnership with OpenAI.
Uber and OpenAI announced on October 22, 2026 that ChatGPT Work is now used by Uber's entire global workforce, roughly 30,000 people. It started as a pilot with 1,000 employees earlier this year. Now every team at the company can use the same corporate AI agent in daily work.
1. What ChatGPT Work is
ChatGPT Work launched in July 2026 as an AI agent for enterprise customers, built inside ChatGPT Enterprise. It is designed for multi-step work: research information, prepare meeting briefs, create presentations, analyze data, and complete workflows across applications.
It connects to tools Uber employees already use: Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Slack. According to OpenAI's announcement, GPT-6.1 Sol is the default model inside ChatGPT Work for Uber.
2. What the pilot taught them
The early test involved 1,000 employees from finance, operations, and product. Sumanth Sukumar, Uber's VP of engineering, told TechCrunch that about 80% of the early adopters were not engineers.
They used it to analyze complex operational data, localize training materials for different markets and languages, and build interactive dashboards for daily work. Uber also paired 30 AI engineers with other teams for two weeks in what it calls "AI pods" to automate parts of their jobs.
3. Proof it is not just for engineers
The 80% figure matters. It shows the biggest value of AI agents in large companies comes from non-technical workers, not software developers. Uber's engineers keep using Codex for coding, while ChatGPT Work targets operations, finance, marketing, and product teams.
OpenAI spelled out the support structure in its announcement: Uber teams get an internal AI skills library, a set of approved integrations, and dedicated employee training.
4. The shadow of layoffs
The rollout comes seven weeks after Uber cut about 10% of its corporate workforce, roughly 3,300 jobs, in September. Business Insider reports that neither company has linked the two events, and there is no evidence the cuts were driven by the tool. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi described the restructuring as an effort to reduce management layers.
Still, several former employees told Business Insider that AI had taken over significant parts of their jobs before the cuts. Uber also cited AI as a reason for a July round of layoffs targeting customer service staff.
5. No productivity numbers yet
Uber did not disclose what the rollout costs. Sukumar said the company will track how employees use the tool, the workflows they build, and its effect, then use those findings to guide future AI decisions. OpenAI shared no time saved or productivity figures either.
Both companies promise to publish adoption data and measurable outcomes as the rollout progresses.
What it means for you
This is the largest example so far of a non-tech company giving an AI agent to all of its corporate staff, not just the IT team. The same pattern is likely to reach companies in Malaysia within a year or two.
- Pilot first, scale later. Uber tested with 1,000 employees, measured who actually used it, then expanded. If you want to introduce AI at work, start with one small team.
- Non-engineers gain the most. 80% of the early adopters were non-technical. Look at your own daily work: data, summaries, translations, presentations. That is where AI agents help.
- Support decides adoption. Uber supplied training, an internal skills library, and curated integrations. Tools without training rarely get used.
- Track outcomes, not license counts. Uber itself has no productivity numbers yet and will measure over time. Compare work before and after, not the number of accounts opened.