SAN FRANCISCO—Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has been tapped to lead Uber as its new CEO, according to reports.
“Nothing has yet been finalized, but having extensively discussed this with Dara, I believe it is his intention to accept,” Expedia Chairman Barry Diller wrote. “I also know the struggle he has been having out of both his abiding enthusiasm for Expedia’s future as well as his loyalty to all of us. I know Dara would like to communicate now with all of you but I’ve asked him not to until this is fully resolved. If Dara does leave us, it will be to my great regret but also my blessing—he’s devoted 12 great years to building this company and if this is what he wants for his next adventure it will be with my best wishes. I say that because he deserves nothing less and I say that also because he will leave behind a tremendously talented corps of executives …”
The company’s short list included Jeff Immelt, the former CEO of General Electric, and Meg Whitman, the head of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, according to CNN.
Immelt has taken himself out of the running and, in a tweet, stated: “I have decided not to pursue a leadership position at Uber. I have immense respect for the company & founders—Travis, Garrett and Ryan.”
In the new role, Khosrowshahi would face a potential uphill battle as Uber has been embroiled in one crisis after another—legal clashes, financial hits, and worn relations with employees and investors.
Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigned in June from the ride-hailing service company he co-founded following a crisis over leadership and pressure from investors to step down. He still holds a seat on Uber’s board.