Arora was also in the running for Softbank CEO before he resiged in June 2016.
Former Softbank President Nikesh Arora is running for the role of Uber CEO, claims a New York Times report. Arora is one of the many executives Uber is currently pitching to for the top role, after Travis Kalanick stepped down last month due to investor pressure. Interestingly, Arora was also in the running for Softbank CEO before quitting in June 2016. He had formerly served as Google’s Chief Business Officer.
Uber is looking at Silicon Valley’s “seasoned” executives to succeed trouble-child Kalanick. YouTube’s Susan Wojcicki, Twitter’s former CEO Adam Bain, ex-Virgin America chief David Cush, and much-criticized ex-Yahoo boss Marissa Mayer are in the race for the post. Uber’s pitch reportedly says the candidate “must be willing to fix a broken culture, deal with an aggressive predecessor, battle a risky lawsuit and prepare the company for an initial public offering. Self-starters preferred.” ALSO READ: Uber Mishaps: From data breach to CEO Travis Kalanick’s leave of absence, here’s everything that went wrong
The ride-hailing company has received a flurry of requests for the role, adds the report. Uber’s board has already interviewed multiple candidates. The company currently operates in 80 countries and has a 15,000-strong workforce. Uber has lately been criticized for its toxic work culture, especially for women employees, and the new CEO would have his / her task cut out.
Arora is quite an able hand. He was set to be Softbank CEO post 58-year-old Mayoshi Son’s retirement. However, Son changed his mind and decided to continue for another 5-10 years. And a seemingly displeased Arora left saying: “Didn’t want to be CEO in waiting past my sell by date.” ALSO READ: Nikesh Arora steps down as Softbank President
He was also in contention for the CEO role at Yahoo and Skype before joining Softbank. After Arora’s departure, Son said in a statement: “Nikesh is a unique leader with unparalleled skills around strategy and execution. He should be CEO of a global business.” Surely, Uber is one growing global business. And Arora might just be the best fit.