Meet Mike Laue, our Aussie-native Director of Customer Operations for Europe, Middle East, and Africa. After leading teams at one of the largest companies in the world in Sydney and Singapore, Mike decided to shake things up and take on the challenge of running a Customer Operations team at Uber in Amsterdam. Mike and the nearly 2,000 person local specialist team help keep Uber’s customers and drivers happy and safe, in over 20 languages across 30 countries. “If you want to have an impact on the world, come join us!”
Tell us about yourself.
“Originally from Australia, I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to lead some phenomenal teams in amazing locations around the world. While at Apple, I led Customer Experience, Sales & Retail Support teams for the Asia Pacific region, based out of Sydney and then Singapore. My latest role is based in Amsterdam as a Director of Customer Operations for Uber’s Europe, Middle East and Africa business. Moving to Uber was somewhat of a surprise. Like many expats, my family were considering moving home to Australia after the pandemic. Changing jobs, countries, and companies certainly wasn’t the original plan. However, this has absolutely been the most rewarding, exciting and challenging move of my career.”
Tell us about your role.
“As a Director of Customer Operations, I’m responsible for the service, safety, onboarding, compliance and account management of Uber users. Our diverse team of almost 2,000 specialists support all lines of Uber’s business, including Mobility (rides, hailables and high-capacity vehicles), Delivery (like Uber Eats and grocery), and specific teams like Uber for Business and the incubation of exciting new products. We provide support to over 30 countries in more than 20 languages from our Center of Excellence contact centers and in-person at our Greenlight Hubs. Customer Operations is truly the voice of Uber!”
Has your experience at Uber matched your expectations?
“It’s been a wild ride! Uber is so different to anything I’ve experienced before in such an exciting, fast paced and value-driven way. Before joining Uber, I hadn’t gotten a dial on exactly what the culture and values were truly like, but now I can definitely say that the people here are incredibly smart, deeply passionate and laser focused on providing exceptional customer experiences. Everyone I have met strives to understand the needs of our earners and users, relentlessly innovating our products to provide frictionless, magical experiences.”
What’s it like to work at Uber?
“Coming from Singapore, which was an incredible hub for expats and people on international assignments, I appreciate the value that comes from being part of a diverse community that not only reflects our customers, but also the unique thoughts and approach that it brings to the business. I realized very early on that Uber truly lives its values. This is something that’s non-negotiable for me, and I’m grateful to be working with such a great group of people who do truly care for each other, the community and the planet.”
As we kick off 2023, what are you looking forward to most?
“We’ve got exceptional talent on our team, doing incredibly important work. I’m excited to see the profound impact they will have on our earners and customers as we continue to support the communities we operate in. Beyond delivering magical experiences, as one of the largest teams in Uber we feel a deep sense of responsibility to build on our local contributions through activities like volunteering. Our teams are incredibly passionate about giving back, and it’s something we’re looking to expand significantly in 2023!”
Any advice for someone considering applying to Uber?
“If you want to have an impact on the world, come join us!”
Interested in joining us? Explore life on the Community Operations team and learn more below.
Posted by Philip Graumann
Come reimagine with us
Related articles
Most popular
Enabling Infinite Retention for Upsert Tables in Apache Pinot
Presto® Express: Speeding up Query Processing with Minimal Resources
Unified Checkout: Streamlining Uber’s Payment Ecosystem
The Accounter: Scaling Operational Throughput on Uber’s Stateful Platform
Products
Company