Who is Balaji Krishnamurthy, Uber’s new Indian-origin CFO and an engineer from Satya Nadella’s alma mater

Uber has announced a major leadership update. Balaji Krishnamurthy, an Indian-origin executive, will become the company’s Chief Financial Officer from February 16. He takes over from Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah, who is stepping down after almost three years.

Krishnamurthy has years of experience and a good understanding of Uber’s business. His appointment shows that the company is focusing on strong planning and long-term growth.

Six years at Uber

Krishnamurthy has been part of Uber since 2019. According to his LinkedIn profile, he previously served as vice president of strategic finance and investor relations. During this time, he worked on financial planning, managing investments, and deciding how the company allocates capital.

According to a report by India Today, he has also played an important role in Uber’s autonomous vehicle strategy, supporting investments in robotaxi technology and software partners for self-driving cars.

Before Uber, he worked at Goldman Sachs as vice president in equity research for over eight years. According to his profile, he also worked at Info Edge India, iTrust Financial Advisors, and Irevna, gaining wide-ranging experience in finance and strategy.

Education and professional background

Krishnamurthy has an MBA from the Management Development Institute in Gurugram. He completed his engineering degree in electronics and communications from Manipal Institute of Technology, an institute where Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also studied. During his MBA, he also attended an exchange program at Copenhagen Business School in Denmark.

He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and completed the CFO Leadership Programme at Harvard Business School in February 2025.

What Balaji Krishnamurthy says

On his appointment as CFO, Krishnamurthy said in a regulatory filing, as quoted by NDTV, “As the undisputed global mobility and delivery leader, and with strong cash flows, we have the opportunity to further strengthen our position as a generational technology company.”

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s view

According to the NDTV report, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi praised him, saying, “For those who don't know Balaji, he is trusted by investors, knows Uber's business inside and out, and is a brilliant, decisive strategist. He has worked closely with me and our management team for years, and I am thrilled for him to step up as CFO as we kick off another big year for Uber.”

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