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| Uber’s C.E.O. Search Is Nearing a Decision | Uber’s C.E.O. Search Is Nearing a Decision |
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| SAN FRANCISCO — The search for Uber’s new chief executive may be nearing a conclusion. | SAN FRANCISCO — The search for Uber’s new chief executive may be nearing a conclusion. |
| Meg Whitman, the chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, was emerging as the likely candidate to be selected as Uber’s new chief on Sunday, according to two people with knowledge of the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details were confidential. | Meg Whitman, the chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, was emerging as the likely candidate to be selected as Uber’s new chief on Sunday, according to two people with knowledge of the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details were confidential. |
| The ride-hailing company’s board is planning to vote on the choice in the next few hours, the people said, and Ms. Whitman had not been offered the position as of Sunday morning. The situation remains fluid; board members and investors have been feuding over issues including board control. | |
| Uber’s eight-member board has been meeting over the weekend to decide on a new leader for the company, which has been without a chief executive since the co-founder, Travis Kalanick, stepped down under pressure on June 20. The slate of candidates had narrowed to three people, according to people with knowledge of the process. | Uber’s eight-member board has been meeting over the weekend to decide on a new leader for the company, which has been without a chief executive since the co-founder, Travis Kalanick, stepped down under pressure on June 20. The slate of candidates had narrowed to three people, according to people with knowledge of the process. |
| One of those candidates, Jeffrey R. Immelt, the former chief executive of General Electric, posted on Twitter on Sunday that he had “decided not to pursue a leadership position at Uber.” He did not elaborate on why he was pulling out of the race, but the people with knowledge of the process said Mr. Immelt did not have enough board votes to become C.E.O. | One of those candidates, Jeffrey R. Immelt, the former chief executive of General Electric, posted on Twitter on Sunday that he had “decided not to pursue a leadership position at Uber.” He did not elaborate on why he was pulling out of the race, but the people with knowledge of the process said Mr. Immelt did not have enough board votes to become C.E.O. |
| Ms. Whitman was one of the other finalists. The identity of the third candidate is unknown. | Ms. Whitman was one of the other finalists. The identity of the third candidate is unknown. |
| Uber declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Ms. Whitman. | |
| No matter who gets the job, running Uber will be no easy task. While the ride-hailing colossus is growing and may be on the path to a possible initial public offering, it faces numerous challenges. The company has been trying to reform its workplace culture following accusations of sexual harassment; it still lacks many key executives, including a chief financial officer and a chief operating officer; and it remains entangled in legal imbroglios including an intellectual property dispute with Waymo, Google’s self-driving car spinoff. Uber is also deeply unprofitable. | |
| Ms. Whitman, 61, had previously said more than once that she planned to stay at H.P.E. Last month, after reports surfaced that she was in the running for the Uber job, she posted on Twitter that the talk had become a “distraction” and that she was “fully committed to H.P.E. and plan to remain the company’s C.E.O.” She gave an interview to The Wall Street Journal last week reiterating that there was “a lot of work to be done at H.P.E.” | Ms. Whitman, 61, had previously said more than once that she planned to stay at H.P.E. Last month, after reports surfaced that she was in the running for the Uber job, she posted on Twitter that the talk had become a “distraction” and that she was “fully committed to H.P.E. and plan to remain the company’s C.E.O.” She gave an interview to The Wall Street Journal last week reiterating that there was “a lot of work to be done at H.P.E.” |
| But while H.P.E.’s growth has been declining, Uber’s growth trajectory is positive. Given some of the questions Uber has faced about diversity, the company’s image could also potentially be improved by a female C.E.O. | |
| Internally, some Uber executives have been baffled at Ms. Whitman’s insistence that she was not a serious contender for the job. Members of Uber’s board have been in close contact with Ms. Whitman over the past 48 hours, said the people familiar with the talks, walking through some terms that would be necessary for her to take the position were it offered to her. | |
| Among the items being considered were what role Mr. Kalanick, who holds a board seat, would play in Uber’s future, the people said. Another point of discussion is the current legal battle over board control between Mr. Kalanick and Benchmark, the venture capital firm and major Uber shareholder that also holds a seat on the company’s board. |