Uber COO warns that massive scale hampers new venture development

In a recent interview on Harry Stebbings' 20VC podcast, Uber's chief operating officer and president Andrew Macdonald explained that the company's enormous scale, with roughly $250 billion in annualized gross bookings, limits its ability to nurture new ventures. He said existing operations consume most of the organization’s capacity, making it hard for emerging projects to secure funding, engineering, and marketing support.

Macdonald added that any prospective product must demonstrate a plausible route to becoming a multibillion-dollar business before Uber will back it. The firm still invests heavily in autonomous-vehicle technology, partnering with firms like Waymo and launching Uber Autonomous Solutions. It also announced a strategic investment in Zipline to enable drone deliveries for Uber Eats, targeting one million daily deliveries by the end of 2029. Macdonald highlighted Uber's "Growth Bets" program, which dedicates staff to incubate ideas, though he cautioned that large companies often move slower than startups.