With the resignation of Travis Kalanick last month, Uber started its search for a new CEO to take the company forward and bring it out of the internal and legal complications it is experiencing.
Amidst a series of scandals including those surrounding intellectual property theft lawsuits, allegations of sexual harassment and a toxic corporate culture, Uber starting accepting applications and they came flooding in.
After prolonged discussions and thorough research and consideration, the Uber Board of Directors has narrowed it down to the following candidates:
- YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki
- Former Virgin America CEO David Cush
- Former Yahoo chief Marissa Mayer
- Former Disney COO Thomas Staggs
- Adam Bain, Twitter’s former chief operating officer is also being considered, which Axios had previously heard as well.
- NYT notes that former SoftBank and Google executive Nikesh Arora, among others, is angling for the job
There are a few more candidates, but these are the ones who have a better shot.
The ride hailing company, despite all the controversies surrounding it, generates billions in revenue and operates in over 80 countries. Perhaps, the most exciting factor about the company and its current state of affairs that is enticing applicants is that any executive who would manage to drag it out of this mess would invariably increase his/her value exponentially.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who’s wired for problem solving and wants to make their mark by turning around the image of the company. Yes, they’re inheriting Uber’s entire toxic culture. But they’re also getting thousands of employees who are hungry to change it,” said Jason Hanold, managing partner at Hanold Associates, a boutique executive search firm.
The eventual CEO would have the opportunity to take the company public. Uber, which started in 2009 is now the highest-valued private company in the world, with a valuation of $70 billion. Its profitability and consistent growth in revenue would make its IPO a big event for Wall Street and Silicon Valley.
Megha Shah for TechFunnel.com
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