Uber spends millions on new HQ in Oakland

San Francisco

UBER'S new Oakland headquarters is about four times bigger than Internet radio service Pandora Media's office nearby, and will house about five times the number of employees that ride-hailing competitor Lyft has at its headquarters.

The on-demand ride service paid US$123.5 million for Oakland's historic Sears building last year and has so far filed building permits to complete at least US$2 million in renovations, according to BuildZoom, a start-up that compiles construction and remodelling contractor data for homeowners.