New York, Jan 14, 2026, 19:46 EST — After-hours
- Uber shares slid in after-hours trade as New York City flagged tip losses tied to Uber Eats and DoorDash app changes
- NYC report estimated workers missed $554 million in tips; new tipping rules take effect Jan. 26
- Investors also look to Uber’s Feb. 4 results for updates on demand and outlook
Uber Technologies, Inc. shares fell 0.8% to $84.65 in after-hours trading on Wednesday after New York City said changes to the Uber Eats and DoorDash apps helped drive down delivery-worker tips.
The report lands with a Jan. 26 enforcement date for new city rules requiring delivery apps to show tipping options at checkout. That is close enough to force traders to price in a real-world test, not just another policy headline.
It also drops into the run-up to Uber’s next earnings update, when investors will be looking for any sign that regulatory friction is spilling into delivery growth, pricing or driver supply.
New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection said Uber Eats and DoorDash “engineered” interface changes that pushed tipping to after checkout and added extra steps, cutting workers’ tip earnings by $554 million since the changes were introduced. “Uber Eats and DoorDash’s design tricks have cost workers hundreds of millions of dollars,” Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine said. 1
The agency framed the changes as “dark patterns” — design tricks that steer users toward what the app wants — and said the average tip on Uber Eats and DoorDash is now about 76 cents per delivery, versus $2.17 on apps that offer tipping at checkout.
In a separate report, the city said total pay to delivery workers rose after it began enforcing a minimum pay rate in December 2023, but that tips still dropped sharply after the app changes; the same report said the new checkout tipping requirements take effect on Jan. 26 and could lift worker earnings by about $390 million a year if platforms apply their usual tipping options in New York City. 2
DoorDash disputed the city’s conclusions in a blog post, saying “the report gets a lot wrong” and arguing customers can still tip in New York City after delivery; it also said Dashers keep 100% of tips on DoorDash. 3
DoorDash shares were down about 2% in after-hours trading, while Lyft fell about 1.7%, as gig-economy names traded softer into the close.
Separately, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage of Uber with an “Outperform” rating and a $108 price target, according to MT Newswires. 4
The risk for Uber is that legal challenges delay enforcement or the rule changes fail to lift tipping, leaving delivery economics squeezed by higher worker pay and customer fatigue. Another uncertainty: whether more cities copy New York’s approach, turning a local fight into a broader margin overhang.
For now, traders are watching two near-term dates: Jan. 26, when the new tipping requirements are set to kick in, and Feb. 4, when Uber is due to report fourth-quarter and full-year results and take questions on its outlook. 5
