Although Travis Kalanick has recently resigned as Uber’s chief executive officer, it seems he will be instrumental in the selection of Uber’s new CEO, since he is retaining his board seat and all of his voting rights.
Despite leaving the top position in Uber, Kalanick’s role on the board won’t be diminished; he still holds super-voting shares, which, together with those held by early Uber employees Garrett Camp and Ryan Graves, give him majority control of the company.
Kalanick resigned last week after several Uber investors with 39% of the company’s shares wrote requesting that he step down. Kalanick stated in an email to employees, that he was resigning in order to avoid a conflict which may distract Uber from its effort to turn itself around.
The CEO search is now the board’s leading priority, bypassing the company’s recruitment plans for a COO who was intended to take on the role of a “full partner” to Kalanick.
Kalanick’s exit leaves the CEO, COO, CFO, and general counsel positions at Uber unoccupied, and the $69 billion ride-hailing giant is currently being lead by a committee of 14 executives.
