Some Uber employees are expressing support for their new CEO on the anonymous chat app Blind
At least that's the indication from a poll on Blind, shared with Business Insider by a Blind user.
Blind is an an anonymous chat app for employees and is a favorite way for Uber's peeps to gossip amongst themselves.
By Monday morning, some 217 Uber employees had voted in a poll asking their thoughts on the new CEO.
More than half - 57% - are feeling like Khosrowshahi was a good choice. Over a third are taking a wait-and-see attitude, and the remaining 4% and not happy.
Of course, this poll is not necessarily representative of the company's attitude at large, since this 200-person sample size is a small fraction of the company's 12,000-plus employees. Still, it's interesting to see how employees might be feeling about the change. Clearly, Khosrowshahi has his work cut out for him in healing the employee base after all the public infighting of its board, each backing different CEO candidates.
Still, it's a good sign. Among the Uber faithful, the founder and original CEO Travis Kalanick still has a loyal following. Many wanted him to wind up reinstated as the CEO, even though the company was rocked by so many scandals over the past year that an investor insurrection ensued and he was forced to step down. Kalanick still owns about 10% of the company, is on the board, and has the direct support of a good chunk of other board members.
One former Uber employee recently explained that despite Kalanick's missteps, his love for the company is clear. "I think the only good guy is Travis. But I'm still drunk on the kool aid," this person said.
In any case, Uber will soon rest in the hands of Khosrowshahi and he's already winning support. One investor who put himself in the middle of the fight is on board: Shervin Pishevar. Pishevar is not on the board, but did try to intervene in a lawsuit by board member Benchmark against Kalanick.
Pishevar sent us this statement.
I applaud the Board's decision to make Dara Khosrowshahi the next CEO of Uber, and we are gratified that Benchmark did not succeed in subverting the CEO selection process. I look forward to working with my friend and fellow Iranian American Mr. Khosrowshahi. Dara's experience and his proven track record of success make him the right choice to lead Uber.
And here the Blind poll:
