Dara Khosrowshahi has accepted the position of Uber CEO, according to the official statement of the company.
Uber’s board of directors called Khosrowshahi in a memo to employees "the best person to lead Uber into the future”, adding that his appointment is aimed at "improving our culture and making Uber the best place to work."
"I am excited to welcome Dara Khosrowshahi as Uber’s next CEO. With a deep passion for team building, Dara grew Expedia (TIKER: EXPE.NASDAQ) into one of the world’s most successful travel and technology platforms. Casting a vote for the next chief executive of Uber was a big moment for me and I couldn't be happier to pass the torch to such an inspiring leader,” Uber cofounder Travis Kalanick who was ousted as company’s CEO said in a statement.
Indeed, the former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is taking the lead of the world's most valuable private company — Uber — amid the news of a federal bribery probe into and public disagreement over how the board’s decision to hire him unfolded.
Khosrowshahi, an Iranian-American, 48, has been CEO of Expedia for 12 years and is broadly credited with positioning the company as a leading player in its field, under his leadership the company extended its global presence to more than 60 countries.
Under Khosrowshahi’s lead, Expedia started accepting Bitcoin (TIKER: BTC.EXANTE). He is also a personal investor in Bitcoin startup 21 Inc.
In 2015, Mr. Khosrowshahi was one of the most highly compensated chief executives in the S&P 500 (TIKER: SPX.INDEX), receiving a pay package valued as much as $94.6 million in mostly long-term stock options designed to get him to stay for several years.