Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, and guy whose last name is so complex he’ll always be just Dara for me, is the new CEO of Uber. And that’s probably the best news Uber got all year.
To quickly recap what Uber did to itself this year, I’ll remind you about the #DeleteUber campaign that followed Trump’s first travel ban attempt, the massive sexism revelation from Susan Fowler Rigetti and the investigation that followed, and the Waymo lawsuit that alleged Uber stole Google’s self-driving car technology, to name just a few. Add to that the many execs who quit, including CEO Travis Kalanick who was forced out, and the various other troubles with the law, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
That’s definitely not what Uber’s investors want, especially ahead of the company going public.
Khosrowshahi will have to fix all that now that he accepted the position. Uber’s board confirmed on Tuesday the news in an email sent to employees, LA Times reports. The former Expedia CEO fought off GE’s Jeff Immelt and HP’s Meg Whitman, two other CEOs that were in the running for the position.
“We’re really fortunate to gain a leader with Dara’s experience, talent, and vision,” the email said. “The board and the executive leadership team are confident that Dara is the best person to lead Uber into the future building world-class products, transforming cities, and adding value to the lives of drivers and riders around the world while continuously improving our culture and making Uber the best place to work.”
The new CEO is set to meet with employees on Wednesday, the report notes.
Khosrowshahi made a name for himself at Expedia, leading the online travel agency for 12 years before coming to Uber, significantly raising revenue and quintupling the company’s share price. And the best part is that he did it all without any drama. That’s also something Uber is probably looking for in a CEO right now.
