Uber Chooses Expedia’s Dara Khosrowshahi as New Chief
Uber has selected Expedia’s Dara Khosrowshahi as its new CEO after a nine-week search.
The board of directors came to the decision on Sunday after months of speculation of who would take the driver’s seat.
Recode reported that Khosrowshahi will be offered the job as Uber’s CEO, securing the spot after former General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt bowed out of the race and Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman became “too problematic” for the directors. The decision is expected to be finalized today.
Khosrowshahi is the current CEO of Expedia and has held the position for the past decade. Of all the names that were tossed around during Uber’s CEO hunt, Khosrowshahi was not one of them. At the helm of Expedia, the 48-year-old oversaw numerous acquisitions and watched the online travel company’s earnings soar to $8.7 billion in 2016.
It’s been a bitter search for the ride-sharing company after major investor Benchmark accused former CEO Travis Kalanick of blocking the successful search for his replacement. Benchmark filed a lawsuit against Kalanick which the former CEO has since rejected and characterized as a “public and personal attack.”
The last few months have been turbulent for Uber. Kalanick was accused of sexual harassment leading him to resign and creating a stir about the company’s toxic work environment.
Uber also settled a federal lawsuit earlier this month that was filed after the company failed to protect the private information of its riders and drivers, allowing employees to track users on Uber trips and hackers to steal the personal data of over 100,000 drivers.
Despite company infighting and public lawsuits, Uber has still reached milestones, including its five billionth trip this past June.