HPE CEO Meg Whitman just publicly took herself out of the running to be Uber's new boss (HPE)

pulse

July 28, 2017 4:21 AM

Calling the rumors a 'distraction,' Meg Whitman said publicly on Thursday that she's not leaving her job at CEO of HPE and will not be Uber's next boss.

Scratch one name off the list for Uber's CEO search.

Meg Whitman, the CEO of HPE who has been reported to be among the final candidates in the running to lead Uber, said on Thursday that she is not planning to change jobs.

"I am not going anywhere," Whitman tweeted, noting that the "speculation of my future has become a distraction" in a series of tweets late Thursday.

"Uber's CEO will not be Meg Whitman," she said.

The comments come as Uber narrows down the list of finalists to take the reins of the ride-hailing company, which has been without a CEO since cofounder Travis Kalanick resigned in June after a series of controversies.

Bloomberg reported earlier this week that Whitman was among a group of less than six candidates still in the running for the top job, with a decision expected by September. And on Thursday Bloomberg reported that GE's outgoing CEO Jeff Immelt was also on the short list, with the company's board of directors due to meet on Thursday evening to discuss the search process and the final candidates.

Uber is the world's most valuable privately held tech startup, with a $69 billion valuation.

But the company has been rocked by several months of bad news and controversies, including allegations of sexual discrimination inside the company, reports of a toxic work culture and a high profile lawsuit in which the company stands accused of using stolen technology.

Here are Whitman's tweets disavowing any intention of moving to Uber:

pulse