Uber, in crisis, searches for No. 2 exec to assist CEO Travis Kalanick
SAN FRANCISCO — Help wanted: Seasoned executive, preferably female, to help steer ride-hailing company out of a major rut.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick told employees Tuesday he's searching for a lieutenant to join him in leading the world's most valuable startup that, for weeks, has been engulfed in controversy.
"This morning I told the Uber team that we're actively looking for a chief operating officer: a peer who can partner with me to write the next chapter in our journey," Kalanick said in a statement.
According to a report in technology news outlet Recode, Kalanick made the announcement at an all-hands meeting at the company's San Francisco headquarters during a slide presentation about Uber's business.
Kalanick is also seeking out new business advisers to coach him, Recode reported.
The announcement comes after a leaked dashboard camera video showed Kalanick berating an Uber driver. The video prompted Kalanick to pledge to "grow up" and get "leadership help." The timing could not have been worse, following charges of sexual harassment and gender discrimination at the company leveled by a former engineer.
Uber's board of directors would like to recruit its own Sheryl Sandberg, a prominent female executive to help steer Uber, according to published reports. Among the candidates Kalanick would like to recruit: Former Walt Disney chief operating officer Tom Staggs and CVS executive Helena Foulkes, Recode reported. Uber is also looking to fill the board seat vacated by Google executive David Drummond with a woman. The Information first reported that Uber was searching for a chief operating officer.
Board member Arianna Huffington and Uber human resources chief Liane Hornsey are working on a series of new practices and rules for the company, Recode said.
Last month former engineer Susan Fowler published a lengthy blog post alleging the company ignored complaints of sexual harassment and mistreated female employees. A report on the investigation into those charges by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is expected in about six weeks, Recode said. The allegations were followed by the departures of two senior executives: Amit Singhal and Ed Baker.
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