Meg Whitman says she will not be Uber’s next CEO
Meg Whitman took to Twitter on Thursday night to deny she will be Uber’s next chief executive.
Rumors have been circulating about Whitman, who is CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., but she said she is “fully committed” to HP Enterprise and plans to remain in her position there.
“We have a lot of work still to do at HPE and I am not going anywhere. Uber’s CEO will not be Meg Whitman,” Whitman tweeted.
Bloomberg reported earlier this week that Whitman was on a shortlist of six potential candidates.
The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg reported Thursday that Jeffrey Immelt, outgoing chief executive at General Electric Co., was also under consideration, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The top position at the ride-hailing company is open after Travis Kalanick resigned last month following a series of high-profile scandals. The company is no stranger to controversy, having sparred with regulators, fought lawsuits from disgruntled drivers, and been accused by competitors of playing dirty. Kalanick, who co-founded Uber with Garrett Camp, was credited for its success and was long seen as untouchable.
But the relentless string of scandals that erupted this year proved too much even for Kalanick.
Former Uber engineer Susan Fowler penned a blog post in February accusing the company of systemic sexual harassment and cover-ups. Video emerged showing Kalanick berating an Uber driver. A former executive was accused of violating a passenger’s privacy by mishandling her medical records. The company was sued by Google’s self-driving vehicle arm for allegedly stealing its trade secrets. An independent investigation into the company’s culture commissioned by Uber’s board resulted in 20 terminations and the recommendation that the company take away some responsibilities from Kalanick.
Kalanick resigned under pressure from investors, who believed the company would not be able to turn over a new leaf with him still at the helm. Fourteen executives who once reported directly to Kalanick are now running the company while it searches for a new chief executive.
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UPDATES:
2:35 p.m.: This article was updated to include more context about Uber’s recent struggles.
This article was published at 7:05 a.m.
