The search for the next Uber CEO is over.
Travis Kalanick, a co-founder of the transportation network company, has resigned in June ‘under investor pressure.’ And it is only after more than a month that somebody took over his job.
No, it’s not Meg Whitman of HP. Neither is Jeff Immelt of GE.
It is Dara Khosrowshahi of Expedia.
Photo via Fortune
Born in Iran in 1969 and migrated to the United States in 1978, Khosrowshahi is a graduate of electrical engineering in Brown University.
He joined Allen and Co as an analyst in 1991. The major twist of his career was made when he joined USA Networks, now IAC/InterActiveCorp, in 1998. The company acquired a majority stake in Expedia, formerly a subsidiary of Microsoft, in 2001. Little did Khosrowshahi know that he will take over the American travel company later in 2005.
Since he became its CEO, Expedia grown to a $23 billion giant. Its revenue jumped from $2.1 billion in 2005 to $8.7 billion in 2016.
Undoubtedly, Khosrowshahi has already proven his capacity as a tech CEO. But will the 48-year-old be able to solve the problems that he will inherit once he sits in that big office? Remember the scandals? Allegations of sexual harassment?
His predecessor believes that Khosrowshahi is the man for the job. So is Daniel Ek, who is the CEO of Spotify and the one who recommended the Iranian for the Uber top post.
Photo via Reuters
In a closed-door meeting to introduce the new CEO, Kalanick explained of Khosrowshahi, “He believed in the mission.
“He believed in the great people we have gathered for these game-changing efforts that we call Uber. That’s why we kept getting up, and that’s how we get through the hard part of the journey. It’s how we get to the next one,” he added.
The new Uber CEO spoke after Kalanick. He underscored three key things:
- “I am going to be totally transparent with you”
- “I’ll fight with you”
- “Everyone is going to participate and contribute in their own way”
As Uber starts a new chapter as an embattled company, Khosrowshahi is hoped to improve the situation.
Source: Yahoo! Finance | Tech Crunch
