For those keeping tabs on Uber’s executive search, following the ouster of embattled CEO Travis Kalanick back in June, it hasn’t gone so well.
First, there was the rumor that former General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt was the leading candidate for the position. Then, he dropped out. Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman was also in the mix—and would’ve helped change the public perception of the car hailing service as a festering pit of bro culture and sexual harassment—but she ultimately didn’t land the job.
There was even a rampant rumor—that the company had to vociferously shoot down—that Kalanick himself, who famously wrote an email to his staff as CEO telling them how to hook up properly, would be making a comeback. (He was then, subsequently, sued for fraud by investor Benchmark Capital.)
Yesterday, the winner was finally unveiled: Expedia’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, per the Wall Street Journal. (He hasn’t formally accepted the position at press time.) Khosrowshahi, an Iranian-American, has helmed Expedia for more than 10 years, and if he accepts, will be tasked with rebuilding Uber’s damaged public image and potentially helping it launch an IPO.
As the Journal notes, Khosrowshahi will have to negotiate his contract, which could take days or even weeks to complete. So don’t expect an answer right away.
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