Uber has implemented usage caps on artificial intelligence-powered tools such as Claude and Cursor for its employees, according to a Bloomberg report. The ride-hailing company exceeded its AI budget earlier this year, prompting this move to control escalating expenses.
Monthly Token Limit of $1,500
As reported by Bloomberg, Uber is restricting each employee to a monthly spending limit of $1,500 in tokens per AI coding tool. Importantly, the budget for one tool does not affect the allocation for another. These limits apply specifically to agentic coding software like Cursor or Anthropic's Claude Code.
Each employee has access to a dashboard to monitor their usage of AI tools. If an individual exceeds the cap, they can seek special permission from the company.
Uber Exceeds AI Budget
Earlier this year in April, Uber's Chief Technology Officer Praveen Neppalli Naga informed The Information that the company had already exhausted its full-year AI budget. Uber's CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stated last month that approximately 10% of the company's code was submitted and built by AI agents, and that legal and marketing teams have seen increased usage. Last month, Uber announced it would hire fewer people than originally planned due to the benefits of AI adoption.
However, Uber's COO Andrew Macdonald recently expressed skepticism about AI's productivity, saying, "It's very hard to draw a line between one of those stats and 'OK, now we're actually producing like 25% more useful consumer features.'" He added on the Rapid Response podcast last month, "Over the coming quarters and years, maybe that will become clearer, but I think today it's hard even if some of the underlying metrics are trending in a really astronomical direction."
Other Companies Also Capping AI Usage
Uber is not alone in limiting employees' AI usage to reduce costs. Recently, Microsoft asked its staff to stop using Anthropic Claude and switch to the company's Copilot, with financial considerations being a possible reason, as reported by The Verge. Similarly, Walmart has reportedly capped staffers' use of an in-house AI agent that assists with workplace tasks.
An Uber spokesperson commented, "We think this is all a pretty straightforward way to responsibly encourage agentic AI adoption and experimentation at scale across the company," as quoted in the Bloomberg report.
