Former GE executive among finalists in Uber CEO search

DETROIT (AP) — Former General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt is among the finalists being considered to run ride-hailing company Uber, but there’s no clear consensus among its board about a front-runner, two people briefed on the search said Monday.

The people, who asked not to be identified because the search is confidential, said some board members want to fill the position quickly to bring stability to the company, which has been plagued by missteps that caused co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick to step down in June. Others want to wait and keep looking for CEO candidates. Both people said a Labor Day timeline for filling the job is possible but not entirely firm.

“He’s a front-runner but may not be the front-runner,” said one of the people. “It’s not as if everything’s over.”

One of the people said there were two other candidates while the other said there are as many as five. Neither would identify candidates other than Immelt.

The 61-year-old Immelt, who will remain as GE’s chairman until the end of the year, stepped down as CEO at the end of July. His experience running a diverse conglomerate and dealing with a corporate board is a big plus to some Uber board members who want to bring experienced leadership to the company, the people said. Uber is now being run by a 14-person committee of executives but has several top positions open that won’t be filled until a CEO is hired.