HPE CEO Meg Whitman, who has overseen a massive restructuring, has been linked to Uber’s CEO search.
SAN FRANCISCO — Meg Whitman stepped down as chairman of HP’s board on Wednesday, further separating it from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which she heads, and sparking speculation about her future.
Whitman served as chairman of HP since the PC-and-printer company split from HPE, which sells servers and storage gear, in 2015. She was immediately replaced by Chip Bergh, CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. since September 2011.
The change re-ignited rumors Whitman, the former CEO of eBay and onetime Republican nominee for California governor, may be in line for Uber’s open CEO job.
More: Wanted: A new CEO to remake Uber
Whitman reportedly is one of a handful of finalists for the job, according to published reports. The ride-hailing service ousted founder Travis Kalanick last month.
Uber declined comment.
HP had no comment.
Whitman, who has overseen a massive restructuring at the Silicon Valley tech giant the past few years, told USA TODAY that HPE is poised to enter a growth phase over the next several quarters.
“Meg was instrumental in the formation of HP and in helping us to navigate early life as a separate company, bringing essential experience and continuity of leadership to our entire team, ” HP CEO Dion Weisler said in a statement.
Added Whitman, in a separate statement, “HP has now been a standalone company for almost two years and I’ m proud to have helped get the company off to a great start.”
Contributing: Marco della Cava in San Francisco.
Follow USA TODAY’s San Francisco Bureau Chief Jon Swartz @jswartz on Twitter.
