Uber and Instacart Earnings Point to Agentic Commerce Growth

Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER) and Instacart (NASDAQ:CART) reported first-quarter 2026 results, with momentum in delivery and advertising.

Uber said gross bookings rose 21% year over year, with Mobility up 20%, Delivery up 23%, and Freight returning to growth for the first time in nearly two years.

Meanwhile, Instacart reported 13% year-over-year growth in gross transaction value, passing $10 billion in quarterly GTV for the first time, while total revenue rose 14% to more than $1 billion.

In addition, each company described how new tools and platform investments are shaping customer experiences and partner relationships. Specifically, Uber emphasized the continued development of its technology ecosystem, while Instacart highlighted how its grocery technology platform is expanding across digital and store environments.

Why It Matters: AI is becoming an important competitive layer for large digital commerce companies, shaping how they personalize services and extend the value of their platforms. Uber positioned AI as a way to make local services more adaptive and connected, while Instacart framed it as a foundation for grocery discovery and advertising performance.

• Uber Builds More Personalized AI Tools: Uber is using AI as an enabler for a more personalized and predictive platform, with CEO Dara Khosrowshahi saying it changes the user experience because “the UI is whatever the user wants that UI to be.” He mentioned natural-language interactions for services such as hotel searches and ride planning, while the company also highlighted Cart Assistant, destination prediction, and AI agents that help earners with questions about location choices and work timing.

• Instacart Advances Agentic Grocery Shopping: Instacart framed its work around agentic grocery AI, with CEO Chris Rogers saying the company is building the “gold standard”. As of now, Cart Assistant is available to about 25% of U.S. customers and is designed to help with meal planning and product research. Rogers connected the effort to Instacart’s data advantage, citing more than 1.6 billion lifetime orders and retailer integrations.

• Marketplaces Prepare for AI Agents: Third-party AI agents are becoming a planning priority for marketplace leaders as companies consider how customers may access services through outside platforms. Following suit, Uber said it is building its own AI agent experiences and working with external agents, including Apple, OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini. Khosrowshahi said Uber expects “the majority of those experiences are gonna come direct to us,” while Instacart noted ChatGPT and Claude as added channels that must still preserve control of the customer experience and data.

• Uber Develops Autonomous Vehicle Infrastructure: Uber described its autonomous vehicle work as building the support systems needed for wider deployment. The company said it has more than 30 autonomous partners in mobility and delivery, and deployments are expected in up to 15 cities by year-end. Through Uber Autonomous Solutions, the company is also working to help partners manage the operational and financial requirements that come with bringing autonomous vehicles into commercial service.

• Instacart Grows Retailer Technology Platform: Instacart linked its retailer technology platform to support online sales and store operations through a more connected set of tools. Storefront Pro powers major grocery e-commerce experiences, and Instacart said grocers that upgrade see an average lift of more than 10% in online sales and more than 5% in 90-day new user retention. The company is also expanding its advertising and in-store technology capabilities, including Caper smart carts, which are live in more than 100 cities.

Go Deeper -> Uber Earnings Report – Marketbeat

Instacart Earnings Report- Marketbeat

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