The Compound and Friends Autonomous Driving Is a Trillion Dollar Opportunity With Uber President Andrew Macdonald
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Feb 9, 2026 Andrew Macdonald, President and COO at Uber, who runs mobility, delivery, freight and AV strategy. He discusses Uber’s recent surge in users and trips. He explains why partnering with many autonomous vehicle builders makes sense. He details how AVs could expand mobility, Uber’s operational edge in scaling fleets, and early wins in delivery bot economics.
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Unexpected Post‑Pandemic Growth
- Uber sustained ~20% growth post-pandemic while improving margins each quarter, surprising even internal expectations.
- Andrew Macdonald credits new-customer growth and higher engagement in top markets for the strong performance.
AV Rollout Is Slower And Physical
- Autonomous deployment timelines will be longer and more physical than many expect, especially outside top cities.
- Macdonald argues that time to scale means more players reach commercialization and shifts competitive dynamics.
Partnerships Over Vertical Control
- Uber favors a partnership model because multiple companies will solve AV software rather than a single winner-takes-all.
- If many AV providers exist, Uber's aggregated network and utilization advantages should determine consumer choice.