Uber CEO Travis Kalanick stepped down from his post today, and already, it seems the board has named the person they want to succeed him: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. That is, if the report is to be believed and if she even wants the job.
Sheryl Sandberg said to be named as choice for next Uber CEO
Citing unnamed sources, the New York Post reports that Uber’s board of directors plans to approach Sheryl Sandberg about taking over as chief executive of the beleaguered ride-sharing firm. Arianna Huffington, who sits on Uber’s board, is said to be the one who floated the Facebook executive’s name for the top post at Uber.
Although Sheryl Sandberg is said to be their first choice to be the next Uber CEO, the New York Post’s sources also said that former Disney operating chief Tom Staggs is also toward the top of the list. In fact, he was already reportedly interviewed at Uber even before Kalanick stepped down.
However, it appears that the company’s board is aware that they might not be able to convince Sandberg to leave Facebook. After all, she has a very lucrative position at the social networking firm that keeps her in stock options in addition to the big bucks she earns. Additionally, whoever the next Uber CEO is will have to deal with numerous problems, from the work culture allegations to the lawsuit filed by Alphabet’s Waymo.
A female Uber CEO may be excellent medicine
Uber has been beset with difficulties for most of the year. One of the big issues has been allegations of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment for female employees. As a result, a female chief executive would probably be a wise choice for the company. It recently hired two other female executives and reviewed its procedures for dealing with sexual harassment in a meeting tinged with a sexist joke. All this bad press has damaged Uber’s reputation, so having a woman in the top post would just be good PR.
Sheryl Sandberg apparently isn’t the only female on the Uber board’s list of potential CEO candidates. Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has also reportedly been named as a potential candidate. She just stepped down from her post recently when Verizon acquired the company’s Internet assets.
CVS executive Helena Foulkes is also said to be in the running, and before Kalanick resigned, she was said to have been under consideration to take the number two spot at the ride-sharing firm. Other potential candidates to be the next Uber CEO include Turner CEO John Martin and AOL CEO Tim Armstrong.
