Uber Board Votes On New CEO

Former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to take the reins.

It’s been a rough few years for Uber. What was hailed as the wave of the future in the space between the typical consumer good and crowdfunding is now synonymous with scandal and legal woes. Following on the heels of intentional privacy abuse, medical records theft, and rampant sexual harassment of both its customers and its employees, CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick resigned earlier this summer. His wasn’t the only swift and necessary departure, leaving the C-suite sounding more like an echo chamber than a place of innovative business.

Dara Khosrowshahi is an Iranian-American businessman and the former CEO of Expedia, Inc.

All over social

Today, though, things may be taking a turn for the better. After much searching and social media speculation, Uber’s board has tapped Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to take the reins. Just because it’s fun to live in a 24/7 internet news world, this announcement was made to just about everyone except Khosrowshahi himself. While the board has apparently voted on their pick, no official offer had been made to their new leader as of Sunday evening. But that hasn’t stopped interested parties from following and sharing the news.

Big hitters

There were a few other names in the ring, including notable contenders Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and former General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt. Sources close to both of those candidates have said the offer was never really even considered by either Whitman or Immelt as Uber is simply “too dysfunctional.” That’s a harsh assessment of the company, but at the same time, anyone who’s followed the company with even the slightest passing interest can understand the sentiment.

Damage control

A lot will need to change under Uber’s new leadership – whomever that may be, although multiple sources of citing Khosrowshahi – before anyone can take the company seriously again. There’s such a thing as futuristic innovation, but there’s also such a thing as creating an “atbrosphere” of shady business and college boy antics. Uber has some damage control to tackle with its reputation, and that won’t be an easy task for anyone in charge.