Uber has chosen Expedia head Dara Khosrowshahi as its new CEO, according to multiple reports. Following on the forced resignation of Uber founder and CEO Travis Kalanick in June, the search process for a new CEO has been contentious — in large part because Kalanick remains on Uber’s board and retains a majority of voting shares.
Khosrowshahi has been CEO of Expedia since 2005, when it was spun out of InterActiveCorp’s (IAC) Travel Division. He had served as CEO of IAC Travel and as CFO of IAC. Neither Uber nor Expedia has formally confirmed Khosrowshahi’s move.
Other candidates for the Uber position reportedly included Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman and ex-General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt.
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It’s uncertain whether Khosrowshahi can bring much-needed stability to the privately held Uber, which has been valued at $70 billion. Charges including systemic sexual harassment and deceiving government regulators contributed to a torrent of bad press and Kalanick’s eventual ouster. The Uber board remains divided into factions that include Kalanick and Benchmark, a venture capital firm that is a major Uber shareholder. Kalanick reportedly favored Immelt as the new CEO, while Benchmark supported Whitman.
