Some CMU faculty see Uber’s gift as an attempt to make amends for depleting the university’s robotics staff. “I think they mostly realized the impact with that hiring and they want to make sure they do the right thing for the university,” Herman said. The 40 people Uber hired now work at the company’s Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Other CMU faculty say Uber’s monetary support of professors and students could benefit the company, too. “The best source of new employees would be from CMU,” said Raj Rajkumar, professor in the College of Engineering and director of the university’s transportation center. “It would make sense for them to have a very cordial relationship with CMU.” Uber declined to answer questions from Reuters. In a statement, a spokeswoman said: “We’re very pleased to be in Pittsburgh and continue to be excited about our ongoing collaboration with CMU.”