Uber has appointed Balaji Krishnamurthy as its new CFO, marking a significant shift toward a driverless future and an aggressive expansion of its robotaxi services.
Uber Technologies Inc. has announced the appointment of Balaji Krishnamurthy as its next chief financial officer, effective February 16. This move signals a major strategic shift for the company, as it intensifies its focus on autonomous vehicle partnerships and the development of a driverless future.
Krishnamurthy, who has been a long-time advocate for self-driving technology within Uber, currently serves as the vice president of strategic finance and investor relations. He will succeed Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah, who is stepping down after 27 months in the role to pursue new opportunities. This leadership change was revealed alongside Uber’s fourth-quarter earnings report, emphasizing the company’s pivot from developing its own autonomous hardware to becoming a leading global platform for robotaxi services.
At 41 years old, Krishnamurthy has played a pivotal role in Uber’s “asset-light” strategy, which focuses on partnerships rather than ownership of autonomous vehicles. He has also served on the board of Waabi, an autonomous trucking startup in which Uber recently increased its investment.
“Balaji knows Uber’s business inside and out and is a brilliant, decisive strategist,” said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. “I am thrilled for him to step up as CFO as we kick off another big year.”
The upcoming year is poised to be significant for Uber, which plans to facilitate autonomous trips in up to 15 cities worldwide by the end of 2026. This ambitious expansion relies heavily on strategic partnerships, including a notable collaboration with Alphabet’s Waymo to introduce robotaxis in Austin and Atlanta, as well as a joint effort with Lucid and Nuro to deploy custom-built autonomous electric vehicles.
During a recent call with investors, Krishnamurthy highlighted Uber’s robust cash flow, which has seen a 20% year-over-year revenue increase, reaching $14.37 billion. He stated that this financial strength would allow the company to “invest with discipline” in the autonomous vehicle sector.
“We are entering 2026 with strong momentum,” Krishnamurthy noted. “We will invest across a multitude of opportunities, including positioning Uber to win in an AV future.”
However, the transition comes at a challenging time for Uber’s stock. Following the announcement of Krishnamurthy’s appointment, shares fell approximately 6%, as investors reacted to a first-quarter profit outlook that fell short of Wall Street expectations. This conservative guidance is partly due to the capital-intensive nature of scaling autonomous infrastructure and the costs associated with integrating new AI-driven software.
Outgoing CFO Mahendra-Rajah leaves behind a legacy of financial stabilization, having played a key role in helping Uber achieve investment-grade status and launching the company’s first-ever share buyback program. He will remain with the company as a senior advisor until July 1 to ensure a smooth transition.
As Uber shifts from being primarily a ride-hailing app to a high-tech logistics coordinator, Krishnamurthy’s appointment underscores the company’s commitment to not just preparing for a driverless future but actively investing in it.
According to The American Bazaar, this strategic shift reflects Uber’s determination to lead in the evolving landscape of autonomous transportation.