Uber, the company that revolutionized the art of hailing a ride and then maybe regretting it, is cutting more than 3,000 jobs worldwide as part of a major overhaul designed to shrink management layers and refocus spending on its core business.

The cuts amount to roughly 10% of its global workforce, bringing staffing back to levels last seen in 2021 - because apparently, the future is best faced with a slightly smaller army of middle managers.

Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi told staff in a company email that the taxi and delivery firm had expanded quickly but accumulated too many layers and small teams that slowed decision-making. In other words, the company got so big it started tripping over its own org charts.

He said the reductions would put Uber, which has its global head office in San Francisco, US, in a better position for its "biggest opportunities ahead of us." Because nothing says "opportunity" like a mass layoff email.

The move marks one of Uber's largest restructurings in years and signals a shift towards a leaner operating model - because who needs all those extra employees when you have autonomous vehicles to do the driving?

Shares rose nearly 2% after the announcement, with investors appearing to welcome the proposals. Ah, the sweet smell of downsizing as a growth strategy.

Cuts affect both managers and non-managers, and Uber said it plans to fold many of its smallest teams into larger groups. However, the firm has not confirmed the locations most affected by job cuts. So if you're an Uber employee, you might want to check your email before you book that non-refundable flight.

Such changes are intended to make Uber "simpler" and "faster," while freeing up money to reinvest in areas it considers central to its future, Khosrowshahi said. Like robotaxis, which are cheaper than human drivers and don't complain about traffic.

The restructuring comes as Uber steps up investment in autonomous vehicle partnerships and expands its ride-hailing, delivery, and robotaxi operations. Because nothing says "we care about safety" like replacing human drivers with software that occasionally gets confused by a plastic bag floating in the wind.

Uber is also tightening up its office strategy, asking nearly all employees to work in person at designated hubs and limiting remote roles to about 1%. So much for that home-office revolution; Uber wants you back in the office, but only if there's a designated hub nearby.

Analysts said the layoffs could generate up to $2bn in annual savings. That's a lot of money, but think of all the free lunches they won't have to provide.

Unlike many large technology companies that have cut jobs amid heavy spending on artificial intelligence (AI), Uber had avoided major reductions since the pandemic. But now it's joining the tech layoff party, just with a slightly different excuse: not AI, just too many layers.

The latest changes bring its workforce back to just under 30,000 people, roughly where it stood before its most recent period of expansion. Because sometimes, growth is just a fancy word for "hiring too many people in one go."

Uber asks customers if they want driverless cabs - because why not let the car drive itself? It's not like you have anything better to do than watch the road and pray.