Uber has appointed Balaji Krishnamurthy as its new Chief Financial Officer, promoting him from his role as Vice President of Strategic Finance and Investor Relations. He replaces Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah, who is departing the company after three years.
Krishnamurthy has spent over six years at Uber, with most of his tenure focused on investor relations. He is widely known for his involvement in Uber’s autonomous vehicle (AV) strategy and frequently shares updates on the company’s driverless ambitions. He also holds a board seat at autonomous vehicle startup Waabi, reinforcing speculation that his appointment reflects Uber’s intention to accelerate its AV investments.
Speaking during Uber’s fourth-quarter earnings call, Krishnamurthy said the company plans to invest capital into autonomous software partners, pursue equity investments and offtake agreements with AV manufacturers, and support AV infrastructure partners.
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“With large and growing free cash flows, over the coming years we will invest with discipline across a multitude of opportunities, including positioning Uber to win in an AV future,” Krishnamurthy said in a statement accompanying the company’s Q4 results.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi echoed this optimism, describing autonomous vehicles as a “multi-trillion dollar opportunity” for the company. He noted that autonomy significantly strengthens Uber’s platform by expanding its scalability and efficiency.
Khosrowshahi added that Uber expects to facilitate autonomous vehicle trips in up to 15 cities globally by the end of 2026, with an even split between U.S. and international markets. By 2029, Uber aims to become the world’s largest facilitator of AV trips.
Financially, Uber reported strong performance in the fourth quarter, with revenue rising 20% year-over-year to $14.37 billion. The growth was largely driven by continued strong demand for its food delivery services.
Meanwhile, outgoing CFO Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah will step down following a three-year tenure that coincided with Uber’s return to profitability and expansion into new growth areas.
