Uber Is Said to Target Titans of Industry in CEO Search

Uber Technologies Inc. has set its sights on the business world’s most seasoned chief executives to fill the leadership vacuum left by the departure of co-founder Travis Kalanick. Candidates for Uber CEO, including Jeffrey Immelt, must be capable of restoring confidence in the ride-hailing company after months of controversy.

Immelt, the outgoing CEO of General Electric Co., is on a shortlist of fewer than six candidates to run Uber and prepare the business for an initial public offering, people familiar with the matter said. The company has been moving to narrow the list and name a successor to Kalanick, who was ousted under pressure from some of the company’s major investors last month. Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., had also been under consideration, but she publicly withdrew her name Thursday night, saying speculation of a possible move had been a distraction.

Uber’s board met Thursday night to discuss the search and other issues, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The San Francisco-based company hopes to name a successor to Kalanick by early September. GE and Uber declined to comment.