With an ambitious timeline, Uber eyes 2021 for food delivery drones launch

Uber is crafting a narrative around its ambitions as it eyes a 2019 IPO to woo investors who may be skeptical over its scandal-plagued past and lack of profits in the ride-hailing business

Uber Technologies Inc. envisions taking to the skies with a fleet of food-delivery drones in as little as three years, an ambitious timeline for a ride-hailing company that would face numerous technical challenges and regulatory hurdles.

The San Francisco company is seeking an operations executive who can help make delivery drones functional as soon as next year and commercially operational in multiple markets by 2021, according to a job posting that appeared on Uber’s website. App-reliant Uber has limited experience developing hardware beyond its nascent electric scooters and its equipment for self-driving vehicles, an as-yet unproven technology.

The drone executive will “enable