How was compensation at Uber?

Compensation at Uber, especially for tech roles, was substantial. For instance, Lenny Rachitsky mentioned that his best year at Uber earned him around $320,000 to $330,000 in total compensation. This figure included his base salary and stock options, and it was noted that such compensation in the U.S. could reach around $500,000 to $600,000 annually 1 2 .

Moreover, Uber offered competitive packages even to those outside the U.S. Gergely Orosz, formerly an engineering manager at Uber, shared his experience of having his salary doubled by Uber compared to his previous job in London. His package primarily consisted of stock options, which made it potentially very lucrative if Uber went public 3 .

However, the compensation structure highlighted significant income disparities within the company. Scott Galloway pointed out the stark contrast between Uber's HQ employees and its gig workers. The latter, constituting around 4 million drivers, often made as low as $9 to $12 per hour after expenses, whereas HQ employees earned significantly more, with some making between $150,000 to $250,000 annually when including equity and benefits 4 . This situation underscores a broader issue of income inequality within the gig economy model that companies like Uber operate.