Uber CEO Search: Executive Denies Travis Kalanick Will Rejoin Company

Uber has been looking for a new chief executive officer for the past few months, but one name has officially been ruled out in the search process: former CEO Travis Kalanick.

Kalanick was ousted as CEO of the ride-hailing company earlier this year, but in the past few weeks, his name had been tied to the company’s current look for a replacement. As Recode reported, Kalanick has tried to stay involved in day-to-day operations at Uber and has reportedly been working behind the scenes to stage a comeback as CEO, even saying privately that he was “Steve Jobs-ing it.” Jobs was briefly replaced at Apple in the mid 1980s and worked at other companies including Pixar before returning to the company in 1996.

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In an internal letter to Uber employees obtained by Quartz, co-founder Garrett Camp shot down the rumors outright and said the company would be focusing on a search for a “new” CEO for the company.

Team,

I’ve spent a lot of time focused on Uber these past few months, talking to employees in product and engineering and helping wherever I can. Last week I joined a product leadership all-hands, and several questions were about the CEO search and confusion around the process.

Our CEO search is the board’s top priority. It’s time for a new chapter, and the right leader for our next phase of growth. Despite rumors I’m sure you’ve seen in the news, Travis is not returning as CEO. We are committed to hiring a new world-class CEO to lead Uber.

Uber must evolve and mature as we improve our culture and practices, to achieve our mission of bringing mobility to everyone. We are dedicated to making Uber successful, and keeping everyone informed of our progress. Thank you for all your hard work.

Kalanick had been a public face for Uber since joining the company in 2009, but a string of escalating scandals since the start of the year led to his departure in June.

These events had ranged from embarrassing missteps like a leaked video showing him verbally berating an Uber driver to more serious issues for the company, which include accusations of a toxic office culture, various legally questionable initiatives designed to avoid local authorities or handicap competitors and a trade secrets suit from competitor Waymo over its hiring of former Google engineer Corey Lewandowski.

However, Kalanick reportedly still has his supporters within Uber. In the days after his resignation, Recode reported that some employees were circulating a petition that urged the board to reinstate Kalanick to an “operational role” within Uber.

At the moment, Uber is nearing the end of its fraught CEO search. As with many of Uber’s actions, much of the process has made it out into the public eye — former eBay CEO Meg Whitman was tied to the role, but took to Twitter to publicly deny her interest in joining Uber. Right now, Uber has reportedly whittled down its candidates to three men including former GE CEO Jeffery Immelt.

Read: Uber CEO's Departure Comes After Months of Scandals

But for Uber, the willingness to shut down speculation about a possible return for Kalanick as CEO — although he still sits on the company’s board — could be a possible sign of the company’s future intentions. In the weeks leading up Kalanick’s resignation, key allies like former executive Emil Michael departed Uber. The ride-hailing company has also made several aggressive hires in the past few months — including former Apple executive Bozoma Saint John — in a bid to turn the page completely on its past scandals.