Further signs of trouble emerged later last year, when Uber said it was trying to sublease several floors of its Dallas office space at The Epic. Last year Uber asked for (and received) a two-year extension to hold up its side of the bargain, which was to create more than 2,500 jobs. The company says the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in the works. In total, the city, county, and state offered Uber about $36 million in incentives and grants for what was going to be a major corporate office in Deep Ellum.

The City Council had previously approved about $9.3 million in incentives for the company. The city has already paid Uber about $25,000, but expects to get it back, according to Johnson’s memo. Uber blames the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, and will end its incentive agreements with the city, Dallas County, and the state of Texas. Eric Anthony Johnson, the city’s chief of economic development and neighborhood services, told City Council members in a memo Wednesday night. “Uber will maintain a Dallas office, but anticipates a smaller Dallas headcount of 400 to 500 people,” Dr. Dallas is ending its $9.3 million tax incentive deal with Uber after the rideshare company told the city it will come up short on its commitment to create more than 2,500 jobs based out of offices at The Epic development in Deep Ellum, according to a city memo obtained by D Magazine.

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