With the surprising announcement that Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was stepping down, the guessing game over who’ ll replace him has begun.
While the tech world chewed over the shocking news that Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was stepping down, another narrative was surfacing throughout Silicon Valley that promised to be just as big of a story as the demise of the startup’s bad-boy founder:
Who will take over as Uber CEO?
With Kalanick leaving such a huge — and messy — footprint as he departs the helm of the most iconic example of a global shared economy, it’s hard to even imagine anyone else running the company with as much vim and vigor as its now-former ill-fated chief. But with Uber under incredible pressures on marketing, financial and legal fronts, its board must imagine and must imagine quickly.
Here are some of the names that have been bandied about as possible replacements for Uber’s enfant terrible:
Marissa Mayer, former CEO of Yahoo
Recently out of a job running Yahoo after its takeover by Verizon, Mayer is a known commodity in the Valley. With a ton of experience in the world of social networking, she has a skill set that could be a good fit at Uber. She’s also, obviously, a woman, which could do wonders for helping to clean up Uber’s tarnished reputation as a workplace where critics say sexual harassment is nearly a cottage industry.
Garrett Camp, co-founder and chairman
If Uber wants to promote from within, they could start with naming Kalanick’s sidekick as CEO. After all, Camp teamed up with Kalanick to develop a ride-hailing app back in 2008, and they went on together to launch Uber in San Francisco in 2009. Worth an estimated $6.3 billion by Forbes, Camp has not been intimately involved in running Uber, but his experience in the trenches with the outgoing CEO could make him a strong candidate for the top job.
Ryan Graves, former CEO and employee No. 1
In their handicapping of the replacement race, Quartz wisely points out that Uber’s No. 1 hire might be a solid choice. After all, Graves has been with the company from the beginning and has even served some time as CEO. Plus, he’s not a jerk, at least according to people who have worked alongside him. A big dose of positive personality might be just what the beleaguered troops at Uber need right now to lift their spirits. One small catch: tech blog Recode reported in May that Graves was being investigated internally because he was overseeing human resources when reports of workplace sexual harassment hit the fan.
Arianna Huffington, board member
Another high-powered woman, another possible candidate to run the joint? Huffington came onto Uber’s board last year and quickly started mixing things up, doing both damage control to contain the multiple scandals surrounding the company and working closely with Kalanick to reverse his company’s misogynistic reputation. Huffington seemingly would have Kalanick’s vote for the top job, after he described her as “an inspiration to me” and said she “embodies the type of optimistic leadership we need as Uber continues to grow.” She even visited Kalanick’s dad when he was in the hospital after a recent boating accident that also took Kalanick’s mother’s life.
Rachel Holt, Uber’s general manager of U. S. and Canada
A third, and well-respected woman whose name came up as a replacement for Kalanick when he was simply taking a leave, not quitting, Holt could make a fine CEO, several people in the know have told Recode. Holt has been at Uber since 2011 and has shown real leadership skills by working her way up the corporate ladder. Her lack of expertise in key areas, however, could be a deficit.
Andrew Macdonald, Uber’s regional manager for the Asia Pacific and Latin America
One source told Recode said the board has considered installing a committee to manage the company rather than a single executive. Names suggested included Macdonald, one of Kalanick’s most trusted lieutenants, along with head of product Daniel Graf. Recode said other potential members are the company’s head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, and the company’s chief human resources officer, Liane Hornsey, so perhaps we could end up with a whole coterie of folks squeezing into Kalanick’s now empty office on Market Street.
