The new Chief Executive Officer of Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi met all the employees in an ‘all hands’ meeting to discuss the future of the company and bid adieu to the former CEO and co founder Travis Kalanick. The incoming CEO made his intentions for the company clear and announced his plan to take the ride hailing startup public in the next 18 to 36 months.
Khosrowshahi, who will take up his post as the new CEO next Thursday, addressed a packed room regarding the need to address cultural issues within the organization and restore confidence in the startup currently valued at $ 69 billion. The former Expedia CEO who had to flee Iran at the age of 9 said he is a fighter and will fight with every bone in his body. “We’re in a battle here. I think everybody knows it. I’m here, I made the decision, I am all in, and I’m going to fight for you with every bone in my body,” he added.
Uber which is facing the most scandal ridden and tumultuous time will need major changes at the leadership level as well as a cultural shift to restore faith in its consumers and stakeholders. Khosrowshahi added his priorities were to meet with the leadership team and fill the many management holes such as the vacancies for several key positions and get together with employees around the world, in smaller groups, over the next few weeks. The company at the time does not have a CFO, a chief operating officer, a chief marketing officer, a general counsel and a senior vice president of engineering.
Khosrowshahi who will be taking the full charge of the company reiterated his plans to focus on “paying the bills” or the core business and regaining market share from its rivals. His vision for Uber 2.0 will focus on a cultural shift in the company and he added that culture needs to be written from the bottom up, rather than pushed down from the top.
Ousted CEO Travis Kalanick in an email to the employees said he couldn’t be happier “to pass the torch to such an inspiring leader,” who helped grow Expedia into one of the world’s most successful travel and technology platforms. Kalanick also bid a tearful farewell to the employees at the meeting who responded with a standing ovation for the co founder. An emotional Travis described the last six months as the hardest of his life and admitted to making many mistakes in his tenure as CEO.
Early shareholder Benchmark, who sued Travis Kalanick for misleading the board, also approved the appointment of Dara as the new chief executive officer.
