Uber lays off 400 marketing people in drive toward profitability

Just two months after a shaky IPO, Uber has dismissed a third of its marketing operation, or 400 employees.

The move, announced Monday, is part of a restructuring designed to put the company on a path toward profitability in the wake of its stock market debut in May.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi pushed out two members of the executive team in early June: COO Barney Harford and CMO Rebecca Messina. The marketing division now reports to PR lead Jill Hazelbaker.

Hazelbaker told the New York Times that the marketing operation had become bloated and decision-making processes had become unclear.

Several Uber board members have left this year, including Uber’s first employee, Ryan Graves; Arianna Huffington; and Benchmark’s Matt Cohler.

Uber reported slow growth and a loss of a billion dollars in its first quarter. The company will report its second-quarter results next Thursday.