Uber to double engineering headcount in India to over 1,000 techies

Cab-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc. on Friday said it is looking to double its product and engineering headcount in India to more than 1,000 people.

In India, Uber currently has more than 500 technologists across tech centres in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the rid-hailing firm said in a statement.

The announcement comes amid news that Uber has filed paperwork for an initial public offering on the same day as US rival Lyft, taking a step closer to a key milestone for one of the most closely watched and controversial companies in Silicon Valley.

Apurva Dalal, head of engineering, Uber India, said, “We see immense potential in India’s tech talent and have been expanding our tech presence in the country since the start of this year. In 2018, our tech teams grew 150% and we are focused on doubling down again in 2019.”

Uber aims to hire full-stack teams that include product managers, product designers, data scientists, user researchers, mobile, front-end and back-end engineers, as well as machine learning/artificial intelligence experts, the company statement said.

In April, Uber said that the company is doubling down on its investments in India, which is considered to be one of the biggest markets for the ride-hailing firm.

India accounts for more than 10% of Uber riders globally and the company has more than 35% share of the taxi market, but it is yet to make money in the country, according to Counterpoint Research.

Uber is also trying to expand to more cities in India and grow other services such as bike-hailing, Pradeep Parameswaran, president of India and South Asia, said in October.

He had mentioned that the company was focused on providing multi-modal transport services in India, including, car rides, autos, bike taxis, pooling and buses, apart from the ambitious flying taxis under Uber Elevate and waterways.

Parameswaran joined Uber in June 2017 and was elevated to India and South Asia head in June this year. Uber is currently present in 31 Indian cities while Ola operates in 110 cities.

In September, in an interview to TechCircle, Dalal had said that the company will use voice to fuel its next billion rides.

This year in May, Uber India and South Asia chief Amit Jain was elevated to head the ride-hailing app’s operations in the Asia-Pacific.

In India, Uber competes with local player Ola, and both are in an intense battle to win market share in the country.