No, Travis Kalanick Won’t Return As Uber CEO, Co-Founder Says

Uber board member and co-creator Garrett Camp told employees as much in an email on Monday.
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In the weeks since Uber’s embattled co-founder Travis Kalanick ousted himself from the CEO spot at the company, rumors have run rampant that the company’s former leader was planning some sort of attempt to mount a return to the top spot. But according to Uber co-founder Garrett Camp, Kalanick won’t be retaking the ride-hailing company’s Iron Throne anytime soon. 

In an email to Uber employees sent Monday and obtained by the tech site Recode, Camp vowed that the flurry of media reports claiming Kalanick was intended to triumphantly grab his old job back—or, as the former C-E-Bro reportedly put it, that he was “Steve Jobs-ing it”—was just gossip. 

“Despite rumors I’m sure you’ve seen in the news, Travis is not returning as CEO,” Camp said in the email. “We are committed to hiring a new world-class CEO to lead Uber.”

“It’s time for a new chapter,” he reportedly wrote. 

Still, Uber has struggled to find a replacement for Kalanick, who stepped down in June after a group of investors reportedly insisted he do so in the wake of a series of scandals culminating in a somewhat damning report from former attorney general Eric Holder. Hewlett-Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman was considered a leading candidate for the job for some time, until she announced on Twitter in late July that she was not in contention. 

While Uber’s board struggles to find a new captain to help right the ship, Kalanick—who maintains a position on said board—reportedly continues to be an obstacle in the search, a fact which appears to have helped prompt rumors that he viewed himself as the once and future king of his Silicon Valley start-up. 

Returning to the top spot might make Kalanick feel better, but it might not help out the embattled company’s image—or bottom line. On Monday, investment firm Benchmark—which has a member on Uber’s board—said the ride-hailing company’s current valuation of around $60 billion could rise to more than $100 billion…but it only made the announcement after Camp reminded the world Kalanick wasn’t going to retake the reins.